Thicker than Water
by la lisboa
Summary: AU from the season 2 finale. Storybrooke's residents escape the destruction of the town, but lose their memories when the failsafe explodes. After being separated, Snow and Charming try to find a way back to each other, assisted by a daughter and grandson they no longer know exist.
1. And Then There Was Darkness

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, it doesn't belong to me.

**A/N:** I've had a Storybrooke destruction idea bouncing around for a long time, and thanks to the failsafe in the final episodes, I'm finally able to bring it to fruition. This is AU from the finale. Thanks for coming along for the ride; I hope you enjoy!

**For Melissa. Who also had to beta this story, but is still the birthday girl. I could not ask for a better beta, friend, or twin soul!**

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_Her breath came in gasps but she couldn't stop running. Instead, she closed her eyes and pushed through the pain. She tried not to think about what was happening behind her, but in her mind's eye she could still see the forest taking over the town: the vines crawling up the walls, the leaves bursting out of nowhere…_

"_Mary Margaret!"_

_Her eyes flew open. They were at the town line. David had stopped in front of it, and she could see the indecision written all over his face. Beside him, Henry waited nervously, dancing on the spot. She knew what they had to do, that it was the right thing to do, but still, she hesitated. _What if it didn't work?

"_Hurry!" Henry shouted. _

"_What are we waiting for?" Leroy grumbled impatiently. "Are we doing this or not?"_

_She caught David's eye. He nodded, and she saw him clench the bottle more tightly in his hand._

"_Let's go," he announced._

_Henry offered her his hand, and she tried to smile reassuringly at him, although her stomach was in knots. _

What if she lost all of her memories from the Enchanted Forest? What if Emma didn't make it out in time?

_But she couldn't think about that now. David had already stepped over the line, and now, there was no going back. _

"_It'll be okay," Henry said quietly. "It's going to work." _

_The other side of the line didn't _feel _very different. She hurried forward, trying to keep up with David. He turned around and pushed the bottle into her hand. She uncorked it, still moving forward. She only had a few seconds. Everyone needed to drink what Mother Superior had made, although at the moment she couldn't remember why…_

_And then the memories came flooding back. Kneeling before the huntsman waiting for his fatal blow; Regina saving her from a runaway horse; Emma coming early, and trying to get her to the wardrobe – _

_She quickly passed the bottle on to Leroy and kept running, dragging Henry along with her. They had to get away, as far away as possible. The failsafe could go off at any moment now, and all she could do was hope that Emma made it out in time. And that everyone could restore their memories before it was too late…_

_Suddenly there was a deafening blow. She flew through the air, propelled forward by the blast, Henry's screams echoing in her ears. She tried to hang onto his hand, but it slipped from her fingers and she snatched at only air. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact._

_It came too soon, harsh and unforgiving, as her body slammed into the ground. She felt the pain at the back of her head, and then there was darkness._

The baby was coming. She cried out as another contraction came over her, crushing David's hand in hers. She closed her eyes and pushed, pushed as hard as she could, so this would all be over…

"Mary Margaret!" someone was calling, but she couldn't understand why. She knew no one by that name.

"Mary Margaret!" This time she registered that it was a boy, and that his tone had become more panicked. She tried to tune him out and instead concentrated on pushing. She had to get the baby out in time.

She heard footsteps running toward her, and then someone began shaking her shoulder. "Wake up, wake up!"

With one last push, the baby was free. She breathed a sigh of relief as Emma started crying. She had never heard a more beautiful sound.

"Mary Margaret!"

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. She was lying on a hard surface, staring up at the sky. Emma had stopped crying. Slowly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and glanced around. Everything looked completely unfamiliar. She had never seen this forest before.

"Mary Margaret?" She turned and saw a boy was kneeling beside her, his eyes wide with worry. His expression unnerved her. _Why was he looking at her like that when she had never seen him before?_

"Where is she?" she demanded. "Where's my baby?"

The boy frowned. "I don't – what are you talking about? You don't have a baby."

"Yes, I do," she insisted. "She was just here. I heard her crying." The boy's frown only deepened. She turned away from him. "Emma! Emma!"

"Emma's not here," he told her, and his tone was unmistakably sad. "She – I don't know where she is. She didn't make it out in time."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, bewildered. "I just gave birth to her. She _did _make it out in time, but we have to get her to the wardrobe before the curse hits. Please, you have to help me find her!"

The boy chewed his lip and then reached out to her again. "Mary Margaret-"

"Stop calling me that!" she exclaimed, pulling away from him. "I don't know who you're talking about, but it's not me. I need to find my daughter, _now._ So either help me, or leave me alone!"

She saw the boy's eyes light up with sudden understanding. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, she heard another voice behind her.

"Snow!"

"Charming!" Snow breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she saw him hurrying toward her. "Have you seen Emma? Do you know where she is? What's going on?"

"Emma?" He shook his head. "No, I haven't seen her. I thought she was with you." David extended his hand and helped her to her feet, but he was frowning. His expression worried her. Something was clearly wrong, something he wasn't telling her.

"What is it?" she pressed. "What's wrong?"

"It's the curse," he said quietly. "I think this is the curse."

Snow's eyes widened. "_This _is the curse? But how – how is that possible?"

"I don't know," David replied. "But I think – well, here. I'll show you." She allowed him to lead her away from the boy. He was still watching them carefully, although his face had grown noticeably paler. Snow tried not to imagine the worst, but Charming's silence was more unnerving than anything he could have said. What could be so horrible that he wouldn't even tell her what it was?

"It's this."

Snow's mouth dropped open. They were standing by a road she had never seen before, and the road was strewn with bodies. When she stepped closer, she noticed with a sinking feeling that she recognized everyone – Red, Granny, Grumpy. For one heart-stopping moment, she feared they were all dead, but then she saw them stirring. But even though they looked the same, there was something different about them. They were wearing strange clothes she had never seen before. And she'd never seen Red with actual red in her hair. Instinctively, her hand jumped to her own hair, and she was horrified to find it was short.

Snow turned back to David, her face stricken. "We have to get back!" she exclaimed. "Emma's just a baby; she needs us. She's all alone in the castle. How do we get back? We have to get back!"

"You can't go back!" The boy was back again, his eyes wide and insistent. "There is no way to go back, and you shouldn't go. This isn't the curse," he pressed on, when he noticed he had gotten their attention. "Emma already broke that curse. This is something else. Please-" His expression faltered when he realized they had no idea what he was talking about. "I know you're scared, but you have to believe me. I don't know where Emma is right now, but she's not a baby. She's here somewhere. And we have to find her."

Snow felt David reach for his sword, although he pulled out a different weapon she didn't recognize instead. Either way, it caused the boy to take a step back in alarm. "Who are you?" David demanded.

"It's me!" The boy sounded close to tears now. "Henry!"

"It's a trick," David said. "It must be Regina in disguise. She's trying to keep us from going back, from our daughter. Snow, go," he said, giving her a gentle push. "Go find Emma. I'll deal with this one."

Snow tore herself away from the boy's pleading expression and started running down the road. She had to get to Red; Red would know how to find Emma with her wolf senses. Even if Emma was still in the Enchanted Forest, maybe Red would be able to find the portal they had gone through. Maybe it would still be open.

Snow glanced around wildly, but Red was nowhere to be found. She frantically searched the road and surrounding trees for signs of magic, but found none. She ran up to the trees and tried to see if any of them had the same properties as the magical one, the one that Geppetto had fashioned into a wardrobe, but all the trees seemed so ordinary. And she couldn't see how she and everyone else could have entered this world, unless they had suddenly dropped from the sky.

She was about to turn back when a high-pitched wailing stopped her. Snow had never heard such a horrible sound. She clamped her hands over her ears and closed her eyes, waiting for it to pass. But the sound only got louder.

_What in the world was this place?_

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**A/N:** I'll update again soon! In the meantime, you know what to do. *points down* Please and thank you!


	2. In the Before

**Disclaimer: **Hmm, strangely enough, I still own nothing!

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited the first chapter! I'm so thrilled that so many people are enjoying this story, even if you are confused. Don't worry, I think this chapter will make a lot of things clear(er) and the third chapter should fill in the rest of the blanks.

Much thanks to Melissa for betaing and a happy belated birthday to **starophie**. It must be fate that you and my favorite beta were born on the same day!

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_They were running out of time. She could see that David had finally convinced everyone to leave, but it had taken too long. It looked dark outside the diner, and she knew it was because the leaves were blocking the light. The forest was coming back much too quickly. _

_They were never going to make it._

_Emma watched as everyone began filing out of the diner, but she couldn't move. As much as she didn't want to, she knew it had to be done. It might be their only chance._

"_Emma!" Mary Margaret called as the last few people were filing out. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"_

_Emma swallowed hard, steeling herself. Convincing her mother would be hardest of all. Without meeting Mary Margaret's eye, she said, "I think I should stay."_

"_What? " Mary Margaret exclaimed. "No! Emma, you can't stay – you'll die!" She strode over to Emma and grabbed her hand. Emma looked up at her. "We have to stay together. I won't lose you again."_

"_What's going on?" Henry had returned, and Emma could see David was right behind him._

_She bit her lip. It was hard enough to tell her mother she wanted to stay without the rest of her family there, too. "I think I should help Regina," she explained. She glanced at Henry, but his expression was inscrutable. Emma turned back to Mary Margaret. "I don't want to lose you, either. But whatever Regina's doing, it's not working – or it's not enough. If I help her-"_

"_Emma, there's no guarantee you _can _help her," Mary Margaret pressed._

"_But I have to try," Emma insisted. "It's the harder path, but it's what's right. If Regina and I work together, we might be able to give everyone enough time to escape."_

_She knew Mary Margaret and David would see the truth in her words. Her parents would never stand for building new lives on Regina's blood. If there was a way they could save her, too, despite the fact she was their mortal enemy, Emma knew they would take it._

"_You're right," Mary Margaret said at last. "But you have to promise me that you will get yourself to safety in time."_

"_I promise," Emma said, nodding. "I'm not trying to be a hero; I just want you to be safe."_

_She looked back at Henry. His expression was nervous, and she felt her chest tighten. She knew that this was a risk, knew that she was doing exactly what Neal had told her not to do. She shouldn't leave Henry; she couldn't let him grow up the way she had, unwanted and alone. But he _wouldn't_ be alone. Even if she didn't make it – her chest felt tighter at the very thought – her son would grow up with two loving grandparents._

"_Mom." Her lower lip quivered. "Dad."_

_They opened their arms and she stepped into their embrace, blinking back tears. She felt Henry join them, wrapping his arms around her waist. They were letting her go, but she could feel her resolve breaking. She couldn't lose this; she couldn't lose her family._

What if this was the last time she saw them?

"_It's going to be okay, Emma," David murmured. "You are strong; you can do this." He pulled back and she met his eyes. "And when it's all over, we will find you."_

Emma clenched her teeth, straining with effort to contain the failsafe with magic. She had to keep going. For her parents. For her son. She closed her eyes and for a moment, she was back in Gold's shop being coached through her first real spell. She could still smell the dust, still feel the suffocating tension hanging in the air…

Emma blinked. Gold's shop was gone.

"You doing okay?" Regina asked.

"Fine," Emma muttered. She wondered how long Regina had been watching her.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," Regina said quietly. "You could have…" She paused. "You could have left me here."

"Not really," Emma said through gritted teeth. "My son still calls you his mother."

Regina's smile was fleeting, but Emma still caught it. Regina seemed to consider this for a moment and then said, "You can relax a little. You'll conserve more energy that way." Her expression was knowing, as if to say, _I've been doing this since long before you were born._

Although she didn't quite trust Regina, Emma allowed her muscles to become a little less tense. She had to believe that even if Regina had tried to sabotage her in the past, she wouldn't do so when her own life depended on it. If they failed to keep the device going, it would mean certain death for both of them. And she knew that Regina wouldn't risk that, not when it would mean Henry would have to grow up as an orphan.

"We're going to see him again," Regina said, as though she had read Emma's mind. "This is going to work."

"How can you be so sure?" Emma asked. "I can't imagine you've done this before."

"No, not quite," Regina admitted. "But I have seen your parents at work, and when they put their minds to something, anything can happen. They can get entire villages to rally around them, follow their every word." Emma expected to hear a tone of resentment, but was surprised to find none. Regina sounded like she almost admired those qualities. Emma wondered if she was jealous. Despite holding power for many years, Regina had probably never managed to get her subjects to worship her the way that so many of them had clearly worshipped Snow White.

"But what about the town line?" Emma asked. "Even if they do cross it in time, will it protect them from the failsafe? And what about their memories? I mean, is that potion going to work on all of them in time?" She hadn't really questioned the plan when her parents had proposed it, but now, way down in the mines with nothing to do but expend energy on a tiny diamond explosive, she could think of nothing else. Despite her resolve, and despite the fact that she had chosen to come down here, she was starting to worry that it would all be for nothing.

"The town line will work," Regina said. "I designed this diamond to destroy only the town."

Emma almost laughed. "That's comforting."

"They won't die as long as they're on the other side of it," Regina continued. "And the potion will work, too. I don't know if they will all drink it in time, but it should work instantly. It did for Mr. Gold and Belle."

"Right," Emma said slowly. At least the plan wasn't completely doomed from the start. She half-wished that Mr. Gold had stuck around, if only so he could contribute some of his magic to slowing the device down. On the other hand, that would probably be one favor that no one would ever be able to repay.

"What do you think will happen to them if they don't drink the potion in time?" she wondered aloud.

Regina frowned. "I'm not sure it'll matter. As long as some of them know who they are, they can convince the others to drink. The potion's not connected to the failsafe."

Emma began to nod, but suddenly froze as the diamond began vibrating. She saw Regina's expression change, too, and she knew they were out of time. Emma concentrated all of her energy on making the vibrations slower, but even with her redoubled efforts, she feared it wouldn't be enough. The diamond only shook harder.

"It's not working!" Regina exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "I think this is the end."

Emma's eyes widened. "Is it enough? What if they haven't reached the town line yet?"

"I don't know," Regina replied. "But we'll have to take that risk. If we don't leave now, we'll both be dead."

Emma bit her lip. She didn't want to leave, not when there was a chance that her family wasn't safe yet, but she knew she had to. She had promised them that she wouldn't die in the mines. Not today, and not like this.

"On the count of three, then?" Regina suggested. "The diamond won't explode immediately, but be ready to run. We won't have much time." Emma nodded, and Regina continued, "Okay. One—two—"

"Three!" Emma cried, unable to hold on any longer. She pulled herself from the diamond and tore after Regina as they sprinted out of the mines. The ground was already shaking; the magic was wearing off quickly – too quickly. Emma raced through the streets (thankfully empty – she hoped that meant everyone had managed to cross the line), her heart pounding in her ears. She could barely see where she was going, but she knew there was only one way out. She glanced sideways and saw Regina was still with her, although she looked exhausted, too. But they had to keep going; they had to. For Henry.

Suddenly there was a deafening blow. The entire ground seemed to give way. Emma barely had time to cry out before she was flying through the air, hurtling to what she was sure would be death.

It ended in darkness.

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**A/N:** Dun dun dun. Reviews make my world go round and I'll be posting again soon!


	3. The Shepherd from the Fields

**Disclaimer:** Still own nada.

**A/N: **LET THERE BE LIGHT! I am so, so, so sorry for the delay in posting! I meant to post on Friday, but then we lost power, and I only JUST got it back today. I really appreciate everyone's patience, and thanks so much to the fabulous people who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. You guys made my dark days (literally) brighter! Special shoutout to my anonymous reviewers **Miri, Guest **(glad you liked Safe and Sound, btw!), **BaiXue, **and **Ellie**! I can't respond personally, but I appreciate your comments all the same!

Much thanks to Melissa for betaing.

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"_It's suicide!"_

"_What choice do we have? I'd rather lose my memories than my _life_!"_

"_Everyone, please!" David called over the din. "Please, listen to us. We don't have a lot of time. Regina's down in the mines trying to slow down the failsafe, but there's no guarantee-"_

"—_she's actually doing it?" Leroy suggested. There were several murmurs of agreement._

"_No," David corrected him. "There's no guarantee it's going to work, or how much time we have." When Leroy continued to look skeptical, David added, "If that device goes off, Regina's dead, too. Now, look. We have the potion from Mother Superior. We all know that it works. We need to take it with us when we step over the line and drink it on the other side."_

"_Is there enough to go around?"_

"_It only takes one sip, so we think so." But even as he said it, David's stomach clenched. They had no way of knowing if the potion would be enough, and more importantly, if there would be enough time for everyone to have some. _Would it still work once the device had gone off? _But he couldn't voice those concerns now. He needed to keep everyone's spirits up._

_Mary Margaret smiled encouragingly at him and he took that as a sign to continue. "I know there's a lot of uncertainty," he began. "And we're all scared. But I – we," he added, looking at Mary Margaret, "—think this is our best chance." He glanced around at the crowd, but his friends still looked less than convinced. "I'm not saying that you have to come with us. If you want to take your chances here and die with your memories intact, that is your choice. No one will think any less of you for choosing it." He swallowed hard and then continued, "I can't imagine what it would be like to lose half of myself again." _

"It's me!" the boy sobbed. "Henry!"

"It's a trick," David insisted, keeping his weapon aimed on the child. "It must be Regina in disguise." He was sure looked weird, threatening a child, but he knew it was Regina. He'd seen this before, her shape-shifting tactic, and he knew that Snow had as well. It would be just like her to transform into a child, an innocent, someone whom under normal circumstances, he would never hurt.

"She's trying to keep us from going back, from our daughter. Go, Snow," he said, nudging her with his shoulder. "Go find Emma. I'll deal with this one."

"No!" the boy cried as Snow ran off. "No –please – I'm Henry! Henry! Regina's not even here, she was back in the mines. Emma's with her!"

"She's taken my daughter?" David growled, stepping forward.

"No, no!" the boy exclaimed. "No, Regina didn't take her, Emma wanted to go. Look, I know this must be scary, but please, put the gun down and we can talk. I'll explain everything."

David considered this, but did not lower the weapon the boy called a gun. Although he was still sure that this boy was Regina in disguise, he was starting to feel the smallest twinge of doubt. The boy wasn't making any sense, but there was something in his desperate tone that made him pause. If it was Regina in disguise, she wasn't doing a very good job of preventing Snow from finding Emma. Surely Regina would never have let her go.

"How can I prove to you that I'm not Regina?" the boy asked, and David saw a few tears leak from the corners of his eyes. "Tell me what to do, and I'll do it. I'll do anything!"

David was quiet for a long moment as he thought. He had to ask something there was no way Regina would know, but something that this child might. "You say you know my daughter?" he asked finally.

The boy nodded emphatically. "Yes. She's my mo– I mean, yes."

"Okay," David said. "Then tell me her middle name."

The boy smiled and said without hesitating, "Her middle name is Ruth, after your mother."

David's jaw dropped. Even while the boy had insisted that he'd be able to answer the question, David had never imagined that he actually would. No one knew Emma's middle name; only he and Snow, and they had decided on it a few days ago. But this boy knew it, and what's more, he knew about Ruth. _No one_ in the kingdom knew about Ruth. For them, there was only Prince James; there was no shepherd from the fields.

"It's Ruth," the boy repeated when David still hadn't responded. "Isn't – isn't it?"

"Yes," David managed, his voice coming out as a whisper. "But how could you know that?"

"It's a long story," he answered. "But, now do you trust me? I'm not Regina, and I can help you. I'll explain everything, and I will help you find Emma."

Slowly, David lowered his weapon, and the boy exhaled a sigh of relief. "What did you saw your name was again?" David asked.

"Henry," the boy replied. "My name is Henry."

"Henry," David repeated. "My name is-"

"David," Henry finished. "I know."

David paused. He had been about to say James, planning to keep up a disguise that hardly mattered any more. But very few people in the kingdom knew his real name; everyone still thought he was his twin. How could this boy – Henry – possibly know?

"Charming!"

He turned; Snow was running toward him. He caught her in his arms as she exclaimed, "I can't find her – I can't find Emma anywhere! She's not here!"

"It's all right," he said automatically, but his heart sank. If Emma wasn't here, then she truly was back in their world. His first instinct had been right; this was the curse. "We'll find her, don't worry."

"What is _she_ still doing here?" Snow asked, narrowing her eyes at Henry. "You said you would take care of her." She searched his face. "She stole our daughter from us. She has to tell us where she is!" Snow lunged toward Henry before David could restrain her and tackled him to the ground.

"Snow, no!"

"Where is my daughter, Regina?" Snow screamed, shaking the boy. "What have you done with her?"

"Snow, stop!" David grabbed her shoulder, but she shook him off. "It's not her. It's just a child, an innocent child!"

Suddenly, a strong pair of hands pulled him back. David stumbled, tripping over loose rocks on the road. When he regained his footing, he saw men in strange uniforms had converged on Snow and Henry. He hurried forward.

"Get off him, lady! Leave him alone!" the men were shouting. One of them had gotten out a long black stick.

"Don't hit her!" David yelled, trying to block the man's blows. "Don't touch her!"

The other man dragged Snow to her feet. "You like hitting children, lady?"

"Just tell me where she is!" Snow cried. David could feel his heart breaking. Henry's face was a mixture of fear and pity.

"Who're you looking for, lady?" the man holding her asked. "You lose someone?"

"My daughter, I lost my daughter! Please." She grabbed the man's arm. "You have to tell me how to get back. I have to go back to her. She's just a baby; she needs me. How do I get back? How do I get out of here?"

"Back where?" The man looked genuinely confused.

"Officer, please," Henry began, darting forward. "She didn't mean any harm. She's just scared. I'm okay, really. You can let her go now." David felt a rush of gratitude for Henry. It was comforting to know that someone, even if he was a stranger, was on his side.

"Why are you doing this?" Snow sobbed. "I never meant to hurt you. I was just a child, Regina, a child!"

"Regina?" The officer's frown deepened. "Is your name Regina, kid?" The second officer sniggered.

"She's just confused," Henry insisted. "We'll take her home." He looked at David for help.

"Right," David quickly agreed. "Right, you can leave her with us. We'll help her."

But Snow was shaking her head. "No," she said firmly. "No, please, I need _you_ to help me," she begged, turning back to the officers. "You know this land; you can help me find a way back. I have to get back to the Enchanted Forest." David would have given anything to stop her from saying those words. The officers looked more skeptical than ever, and there was something almost threatening in their gaze.

"I have to go back!" Snow cried. "We have to go back to our land!"

"Ma'am," one of the officers began sternly, "I have no idea what you're talking about. There is no other land."

"No!" Snow twisted out of his grasp. She looked at David, her eyes wild with desperation. "Charming, it's another trick, don't you see? They're trying to prevent us from finding Emma. Regina must have sent them; they could be King George's men." David opened his mouth to protest, but Snow exclaimed, "They're going to capture us before we can find her – run!"

Snow took off before David could say or do anything. The officers raced after her, followed by Henry and David. He had to get to her before they did. Snow was going absolutely crazy; he had to calm her down, find a way to make her understand. She was only drawing attention to them. As they ran down the road, Henry fell back, unable to keep up. As he glanced around for the boy, David noticed that several of his friends were gone. He was glad they were well enough to move, but their absence unnerved him. How would they find each other again in this strange land?

"Charming!" Snow suddenly yelled.

David looked up in time to see one of the men forcing Snow's hands behind her back. Enraged, he ran forward and struck one of the men across the face. "Let her go!" he demanded, but the man struck him back, knocking him to the ground. The officer advanced on him, brandishing the same black stick.

"I don't want to arrest you for assaulting an officer, but I will if you try that again," he threatened.

"Charming," Snow sobbed as the other officer steered her toward a strange vehicle. "Save yourself! Go find Emma. You have to find Emma; you have to find a way back! You have to promise me that you'll find her."

"Wait!" David called after the man who had been standing over him. He tried to sit up, but the trees seemed to be spinning. He gripped his head with his hands, waiting for it to stop. When he looked up, the officer was already to the vehicle. "Wait, where are you taking her?" David yelled. "Where are you taking my wife?"

But there was no reply. The men simply sped away, leaving only dust and silence in their wake.

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**A/N:** Hope things are starting to make more sense now...I'll update again soon. Those of you waiting to learn Emma's (and Regina's) fate will find out in the next chapter!


	4. A Land Without Magic

**Disclaimer:** Nothing you recognize belongs to me.

**A/N:** A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm so pleased that so many people are giving this story a chance. I know Snow seemed kind of crazy, but that will be explored and explained more next chapter, so hang in there. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy!

Much thanks to my twin soul for betaing.

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The first thing she felt was pain.

She was lying by a tree, staring up at branches and leaves. Her left shoulder was killing her. Emma rolled over onto her right side and struggled to sit up. She gasped, clutching at her throbbing shoulder. It felt like it had been dislocated.

Emma held her shoulder, trying not to move it, as she took in her surroundings. She was somewhere in the forest that surrounded Storybrooke – or, maybe, _had_ surrounded Storybrooke. Emma squinted, trying to peer through the thick trees, but she couldn't make out the town anywhere. She closed her eyes and tried to remember. They had been running – they'd just reached the edge of the town when it happened. But that meant – her stomach dropped – that the town was no longer there. Regina's failsafe had completely destroyed it.

Emma froze. _Regina._ She'd been right next to her when the device went off, but now Regina was nowhere to be found. Emma bit her lip. What if Regina had been wrong about the line? What if they had crossed the line, but the line didn't actually protect anyone, as they had thought and she had-? _But, no,_ Emma realized, _that can't be right. _I'm_ still here._

But where was her family? Emma hoped they were okay. With any luck, the fact that she couldn't see them now meant they'd been much farther away from the failsafe when it had gone off. But had they taken the potion in time? Had it worked?

Emma shook her head; she couldn't think about that now. She had to deal with the most immediate problem, which was the fact she was in serious pain in the middle of a forest. Emma bit her lip, wondering if she'd be able to reset her shoulder herself. She'd had it done once before, after she'd gotten into an altercation in juvie. But that was nearly eleven years ago, and someone else had been there to do it for her…

Another wave of pain came over her and she grit her teeth, waiting for it to pass. She couldn't just sit here; she had to do something. At the very least, she had to find Regina. She wondered briefly if she should wait for Regina to find her, but then brushed that thought aside. She had no idea how far away Regina was, or if she was even able to move. Or if she was even-

"Regina is fine," she told herself stubbornly. "Regina is fine, your family is fine, and once you get this damn shoulder fixed, you'll be able to find them and see for yourself."

The forest floor was extremely uncomfortable with the sticks and dead leaves poking her back. Emma closed her eyes, trying to relax. She slowly extended her left arm out to the side, taking deep breaths to steady herself against the pain. A small cry escaped her lips as she began to bring her hand to her head.

_You can do this,_ a voice very much like Henry's said. _I have faith in you._

Her screams echoed off the trees as she reached for her right shoulder, and then she felt the pain recede. She remained on her back, breathing heavily as though she had just run a mile. After a few moments, she rolled over and was able to push herself up to a sitting position without too much pain. She shrugged off her jacket and tied it into a makeshift sling.

Her shoulder stabilized, Emma stood up and glanced more carefully around her surroundings. Nothing looked familiar – not that she'd expected it to, but it was a bit unnerving all the same. She couldn't see which direction the road would be either; all she could see were the thick forest trees. As she looked around, she was struck by a sudden, horrifying thought. Regina hadn't taken the potion; even if she found Regina, there was no guarantee that Regina would recognize her.

A sudden cry caught her attention.

"Regina?" Emma called. She strained her ears, listening hard, and then it came again, louder and longer this time. Emma took off, moving as quickly as she could without tripping over the uneven ground.

"Regina!" Emma yelled as she ran. "Where are you?" She heard something indistinct and stopped in her tracks. "Regina?"

"Over here," came from somewhere to her right.

Regina was trying to sit up when Emma found her. Her face and hands were covered in small cuts from where she'd landed on some branches, and she was pressing a hand to her side. Emma hurried forward and knelt down in front of her.

"What happened?" Emma asked. "Do you -" Emma faltered. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes," Regina replied, and Emma heard the pain in her voice. "Of course I do. I never lost my memories."

_Right. _Now that Regina had said it, it seemed completely obvious.

"Are you hurt?"

Regina nodded, wincing. "I – I think so. But what happened to you?"

"Dislocated shoulder," Emma replied, as she helped Regina take her jacket off. "But it's fine; I think I reset it okay. Oh, no…"

Emma could see that the blood had already soaked through Regina's shirt. Immediately she grabbed the jacket and pressed it to the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood.

"Just try to relax," she said as Regina drew shaky breaths.

"Have you – done this before?"

Emma gave a hollow laugh. "Not exactly. But you do learn some things as sheriff." To her relief, she began to feel the flow ebbing. The wound might not be as deep as she had thought.

"I think it's stopped," she said after a few minutes. "Do you want me to check?" Regina nodded and Emma gently tugged up her shirt.

It was worse than she had imagined. In addition to the cut that was bleeding, Regina's skin was covered in bruises and her abdomen had already begun to swell. Emma tried to hide the reaction on her face, but Regina was too quick for her.

"What is it?" she asked, a note of panic in her voice. "What's wrong?"

"We have to get you to a hospital," Emma replied.

Regina's eyes widened. "But – I thought you said the bleeding had stopped."

"It has," Emma said. "But you've got a lot of bruises; you're bleeding pretty badly inside, too."

"Wait." Regina grabbed Emma's good arm as she made to stand up. "We don't need a hospital. You can heal it with magic."

Emma bit her lip. "I don't know how. I've never healed anyone before."

"You can do it," Regina said earnestly. "I'll talk you through it."

Emma continued to chew on her lip. She hardly ever used magic, and she didn't want her first attempt at healing to be with Regina's life on the line. She knew Henry might never forgive her if something went wrong. On the other hand, Henry would definitely never forgive her if Regina died because she _hadn't_ used magic.

"Okay," Emma agreed. "I'll try. What do I have to do?"

"Just place your hand over the wound," Regina said, and Emma obliged. "That's it. Now just think warm thoughts and channel your magic through your hand."

Emma closed her eyes and tried to fill her mind with thoughts of her family. After a minute, she heard Regina say, "It's not working."

Emma opened her eyes. "It's not?" she asked in dismay. Regina shook her head. "But I – I think I'm doing it," Emma said. "I mean, this is how I've done magic before. I can try again-"

"It's not you," Regina answered. "You're doing it right. I think – I think it didn't work because there's no magic here."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked. "There has to be magic here – Storybrooke was full of magic…"

But even as she said it, she realized what it meant. _Storybrooke _was full of magic; that didn't mean the rest of this world was.

"It's because the town is gone," she said finally. "Isn't it?"

Regina nodded. "I think so."

"But-" Emma was unnerved by this discovery. "Does that mean that the potion no longer works? What if they didn't get a chance to take it before the diamond exploded?" _What if my family no longer knows who I am?_

"I don't know," Regina admitted.

It crossed her mind that Regina could be lying, but then she quickly dismissed the thought. If it really was Emma's fault that the wound wasn't healing, Regina could probably summon up enough strength to heal it herself. And if it _wasn't_ her fault, then that meant there really wasn't magic outside of Storybrooke. And that meant that Regina might-

"We should get out of here," Emma said finally, trying not to focus on morbid thoughts. "There're towns close to Storybrooke, right? We should try to find one before night, maybe get to a hospital."

Regina nodded. "Good idea."

Emma tied Regina's jacket around the wound to keep the bleeding under control and then reached for her hand. "Can you get up?"

Grasping Emma's hand, Regina was able to slowly push herself to her knees. Emma reached for Regina's elbow and pulled her to her feet. "You okay?"

"Yes," Regina said, but as soon as Emma let go, she stumbled. Emma could see the color draining from her face.

"It's okay," Emma said, reaching out again and steadying her. "I can help you."

"Don't be silly," Regina replied. "It would be faster if you just went for help."

"How am I supposed to find you again?" Emma asked. "I don't recognize anything in this forest, do you? I don't even know where the road is." When Regina continued to look uncertain, Emma pressed, "Henry would never forgive me if I left you here to die."

Regina didn't reply, but Emma knew the words had gotten to her. Silently, she tightened her grip on Emma's arm, and together they began the long trek out of the forest.

* * *

**A/N:** I'll be updating again soon, although it may be a few days as my beta is without internet!


	5. The Dungeon

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in updating, thanks for your patience! Thanks so much to everyone who read the last chapter, especially those of you who reviewed. You're all awesome! Special shoutout to Lacey, because god only knows when she'll be reading this chapter.

Many thanks to Melissa for betaing.

* * *

Snow fell silent as soon as the vehicle began to move. She felt like her entire world was falling apart; her heart was beating so fast, it threatened to explode in her chest. She couldn't tell if these men worked for Regina or where they were taking her. All she knew was that she was now further away from Emma than ever. As the vehicle picked up speed, she struggled to turn around. Through the back window, she could just barely make out Charming's form as he pushed himself up from the ground.

_Find her, _she willed him. _Please find her._

She hoped that he would be able to get to Emma in time, to find her, somehow, or find a way back. This world had so far proved to be a terrifying place. If this was Regina's curse, she certainly had chosen well. Snow blinked fast, trying to keep her tears at bay. She didn't want to show the strange and violent men any signs of weakness.

"It'll be all right, lady," one of them said in what he clearly thought was a reassuring tone. Snow ignored him. "We'll be there soon."

She wanted to ask where 'there' was, but she probably wouldn't understand the answer. Nothing in this land made any sense. Instead, her gaze fell to her lap and for the first time, she was able to fully take in her strange appearance.

She didn't recognize what she was wearing. She felt like a stranger, trapped inside her own body. With her hands behind her back, she couldn't touch her mutilated hair, but she could feel the way it stopped just at her neck. She was wearing some sort of maroon jacket and pants, which was the strangest part. She hadn't worn pants since her days of exile in the forest. What disturbed her most of all was that this outfit was definitely _not_ what she had been wearing in her final moments of the Enchanted Forest. She distinctly remembered a white dress, and long dark hair that fell to her chest. It seemed that Regina's curse had not only ripped them from their land, but it had completely altered their appearances as well.

Unconsciously, she found herself rubbing her stomach, as though she expected to feel Emma kick. She had grown so used to the baby, had memorized her patterns of rest and restlessness. Now that Emma was gone, she felt utterly alone. She hoped she was safe, wherever she was, and that someone was taking care of her. She was just a baby, after all.

_Charming will find her, _she told herself. He'd found Snow herself so many times before, after all. She hoped that he would be all right. Snow didn't know what to make of the boy, but she trusted her husband. If he was convinced that the boy couldn't be Regina in disguise, then he was probably right. But there was something vaguely familiar about the child that she couldn't quite put her finger on…

And where _was _Regina if she wasn't disguised as a child? Surely she would have left the Enchanted Forest with everyone else. Snow was under the impression the curse would completely destroy their land, and knowing Regina, she wouldn't stand for ruling over a barren kingdom. She had to be here somewhere, and that thought bothered her. In the Enchanted Forest, they knew how to fight. But here, in this world, there were weapons they had never seen before, like the one that Charming had drawn on the boy. Snow frowned. How exactly had he gotten his hands on such a strange weapon…?

Snow was so lost in thought, she hadn't noticed that the vehicle had stopped. Suddenly, the door opened, jerking her from her stupor. One of the men reached for her arm and pulled her from the inside of the vehicle.

"We're here," he announced.

Snow looked around, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed that she still didn't recognize anything. They were standing outside of a large building made with red bricks. A sign read _Ellsworth Sanatorium_. She wondered what that was as the men steered her inside.

"Got another one for you," one of the men called out as they approached a seated, elderly woman. "Need a 72-hour psych hold on this one."

She saw the bored-looking woman reach for a stack of papers. "What's your name, dearie?"

Snow opened her mouth to respond, but froze. That term of endearment always brought a sour taste to her mouth. She peered closely at the woman, wondering if there was some way she could be Rumpelstiltskin in disguise. Could Regina's curse make people switch genders, too?

"Did you hear me?" the woman asked, louder this time. "I asked for your name."

"Sorry," Snow said, trying to shake off her feelings of discomfort. "My name is Sn-" She quickly caught herself. Snow was an unusual name, even back in the Enchanted Forest. She didn't want to make it any easier for Regina to find her here. "Mary – uh – Margaret – I mean-"

But the woman had already begun writing it down. _Oh, well,_ Snow thought. _It's something._

"We found her wandering on the road just before the forest," one of the men supplied. "She was shouting all this nonsense about having to go back to 'her land.' She thinks the Reginas are after her."

_Regina, not Reginas,_ Snow corrected him. _There's only one Evil Queen._ But she didn't want to say anything. She'd already drawn too much attention to herself. Instead, she watched as the woman scribbled down what the men had said and tried to take comfort in the fact that these people couldn't work for Regina if they didn't know who she was.

As the conversation droned on, she wished more than ever that she had listened to Charming. He had been trying to keep her calm; he must have realized that no one in this strange new world was going to believe their story. She shouldn't have run off, shouting after Emma. She should have listened to him; _why _hadn't she listened? It was her fault she was here, and he was out there, alone, with that strange child who may or may not be Regina in disguise…

"This way, Mary Margaret," a new man's voice said. She felt a tug on her arm and found herself being steered down a long hallway with white walls and white doors. The man leading her was wearing white, too, as though he were trying to match the background. She had never seen anything like this before. There were no windows, but it was light in the hallway, lit by something other than torches. She wondered if that meant this world had magic after all, or if they had just found a way to capture light.

_What kind of place had the power to capture light?_

"Where – where are you taking me?" she asked.

"You're just going to have a nice little stay here," the man responded.

"Stay?" Snow tried to twist out of his grasp, but his grip was like iron. "Wait, wait. What do you mean, 'stay here'? Where is 'here,' exactly?"

"Ellsworth Sanatorium," he supplied.

"Yes, I know that," Snow said impatiently. "I read it on the sign outside. But what does that _mean_?"

The man unlocked the last door on the hall and didn't answer. Snow's panic increased when she saw there was a small bed covered by a thin-looking blanket and one pillow. There were no windows in here, either, but the man touched something on the wall and the room was suddenly flooded with light. Surely he didn't mean for her to _live_ here?

"You'll be all right, Mary Margaret," he said, and his tone was surprisingly kind. "Now, my name is Adam if you need anything. The nurse will be by soon with your pills."

"Wait!" Snow exclaimed. _Nurse? Pills? _"I – I don't understand. What am I doing here? Why have you brought me here to this – this dungeon?"

Adam smiled sympathetically. "It's not a dungeon. It's just a place to help you get better."

_Better?_

"But – there's nothing wrong with me!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Adam offered her one last smile as he pulled the door shut. Snow heard him turn the key in the lock. She finally let the tears start to fall as his footsteps faded away.

* * *

**A/N:** Next chapter will bring you back to David and Henry. I'll update again soon!


	6. An Alliance

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Don't sue please.

**A/N: **Thanks so much to the people who make my world go round: my lovely and awesome readers and followers, and especially my reviewers! Glad so many of you enjoyed cray cray Snow. I'm sorry it took a bit longer than I'd wanted to get this chapter up - I started my summer job so life is kind of busy. I also apologize that this chapter is shorter than the others, but the next two are longer to make up for it.

A million and one thanks to my busy bee beta for betaing.

* * *

It felt like his entire world was coming apart.

David had pulled a gun on him; Emma and Regina were nowhere to be found; and Mary Margaret was completely losing her mind. Henry hadn't known what to expect when they crossed the line, but it hadn't been this.

"Ma'am, I have no idea what you're talking about," the police officer said. "There is no other land."

"No!" Mary Margaret twisted out of his grasp. Henry's heart sank. The cops were eyeing her like she was deranged. "Charming, it's another trick, don't you see? They're trying to prevent us from finding Emma. Regina must have sent them; they could be King George's men. They're going to capture us before we can find her – run!"

She sprinted off, and the officers and David followed immediately. Henry hesitated before running off, too. He didn't know how much help he would be able to offer, but he didn't want to lose track of his grandparents. He was worried he'd never find them again.

Henry stopped when he couldn't keep up with David anymore. He could still see his grandfather running ahead of him, and he hoped David would reach Mary Margaret in time. Henry hadn't liked the way the cops had been looking at his grandmother. They seemed ready to take her away any second. Maybe if David got there in time, he would be able to talk them out of it.

Looking around for the first time, Henry realized that Storybrooke had completely disappeared. They had been away from the town when the failsafe went off, but not that far; he should have been able to see the tops of the buildings from here. What was more, the _Welcome to Storybrooke_ sign, which used to be just down the road, was no longer there. It was as though Storybrooke had never existed. Henry figured that must be why no one seemed to remember who he was, or anything about their Storybrooke identities. If the town was gone, then so were the people who used to live there.

He wondered if Emma and Regina had made it out in time. If they hadn't – Henry swallowed hard. He had already lost his father and grandparents. He couldn't lose both of his mothers, too. He had to find them, but he couldn't leave David to fend for himself. Maybe he could convince David to help him, although Henry wasn't sure how he could explain to David that they were looking for his archenemy and grown daughter.

David's shouts suddenly caught his attention, and Henry quickened his pace down the road. There was no one else around; it seemed like everyone else had just gotten up and left. Henry was sure the failsafe had affected all of them the same way, but he hoped that the others were more adept at hiding their true identities than Mary Margaret was.

"David!" Henry called out as he approached his grandfather. David was in the road, his head in his hands, defeated. Henry bit his lip and his stomach clenched. The cops and Mary Margaret were gone.

"David?" Henry crouched down next to him. "Are you – can you hear me?"

David finally looked up. "They took her."

"I know," Henry said. "But it's okay. We'll find her again. The cops aren't going to hurt her."

"Cops?" David frowned.

"Oh…" Henry realized they probably didn't call them cops in the fairy tale world. "They're police officers. Like guards," he clarified, when David's expression was still blank.

"Where did they take her?" David asked. Although Henry was glad that his grandfather was no longer aiming a gun at him, he was still slightly alarmed by David's demanding tone. He knew enough to know that David would destroy anything that stood between him and Mary Margaret.

"I don't know," Henry admitted. "But wherever it is, she'll be safe." David threw him a skeptical look, so Henry continued, "Police officers don't hurt people. They protect people."

"Then why did they take her?"

_Because she was acting crazy_, Henry wanted to say. "Well…" He hesitated, struggling to find a way to explain.

"Do they work for Regina?" David pressed in Henry's silence. "Is that why they wanted her?"

"No," Henry replied. "No. They took her because they thought she needed help. So they're going to bring her someplace where she can get help."

"Where's that?"

"Probably a hospital," Henry said. "Oh – that's a place with a lot of doctors," he explained, in response to David's questioning look.

"Okay." David ran his hand through his hair. "And she'll be safe there?"

Henry nodded. "She should be." When David continued to look uncertain, Henry said, "This is a land without magic. Regina won't be able to hurt her, even if she does manage to find her."

"A land without magic?" David repeated, awed. Henry wondered if his grandfather had even known that such places existed.

"Yeah," Henry said. "So no one's magic will work."

"Not even Rumpelstiltskin's?"

Henry shook his head. "Nope. Not his either."

He watched as David processed this information. Henry hoped he was right in his assumption that magic no longer worked here. If Storybrooke was gone, that probably meant the magic was, too, but he couldn't be sure. At any rate, he knew that Regina didn't want to hurt Mary Margaret, although he couldn't explain why that was the case to David.

"I should look for Emma," David said finally. He stood up and brushed the dust off his pants. "I promised Snow that I would find her."

"I'll help you," Henry offered. "I know this land."

David offered him a small, grateful smile. "Thanks."

Henry tried to smile back, but he knew that David's search for baby Emma would be fruitless. The best they could hope for was finding adult Emma somewhere, unharmed. Henry swallowed hard. What if they _didn't_ find her unharmed?

"Henry?"

"Sorry," Henry said, looking up at David. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you were ready to go," David said, and Henry nodded. "Do you live around here?"

"I, um, used to," Henry replied, not sure how to explain that the town he had called home for eleven years was now gone. "There are a lot of woods around here. We should probably search those first. We would have seen her already if she ended up on the road."

David nodded. "Do you know these woods?"

"Sort of," Henry answered. He wondered if the landmarks like the well would still be there. He supposed he had no way of knowing what had been in the forest before Storybrooke had magically appeared. But he knew the direction of the town, so as long as they kept moving toward it, they would be closer to finding Emma and Regina.

"Are they dangerous?" David asked, and Henry knew he was thinking of the creatures he had encountered in the Enchanted Forest. In his mind's eye, he could see the illustrations of the trolls at the Troll Bridge.

"Not really," Henry answered, hoping that was still true.

David fell silent as they entered the forest. Henry wondered if his grandfather would recognize any of the trees; he had always thought that the forest outside Storybrooke was created in the image of the Enchanted Forest. But David's face showed no signs of recognition, only a grim determination, and acceptance of the impossible task ahead.

"You're going to find her," Henry said encouragingly. "I know it."

David smiled sadly, and Henry could hear the words he didn't say.

_I will always find her._

* * *

**A/N:** Next chapter will feature Emma and Regina, and I will do my best to post it sooner than next Monday (but no promises since it's not betad yet). Have a lovely day, thanks for reading, and please make me smile with a review!


	7. Stay

**Disclaimer:** Still not mine.

**A/N:** Thanks to my fabulous readers, followers, and reviewers! You guys are all seriously awesome. And you're SO awesome that it didn't take me a week to update!

Much thanks to Melissa for betaing. She is also awesome.

* * *

They hadn't made much progress by the time night had fallen. Emma had needed to stop several times to readjust her sling as she half-dragged Regina through the forest. Despite the fact they had been walking around for hours, they hadn't come any closer to reaching a town, or even a break in the woods. Emma couldn't even tell what direction Storybrooke had been in anymore.

"I think we have to stop," she said at last, once they'd reached a clearing with comparatively fewer trees. "I can't tell where we are anymore."

Regina nodded and sank to the ground. Emma was struck by how much paler her skin looked in the fading light.

"How is it?" Emma asked, eyeing Regina's abdomen. "It doesn't seem to have bled through – do you want me to look at it?"

"It seems all right," Regina said as she began to untie the jacket. Taking that as an invitation to check, Emma knelt down, pine needles digging into her knees.

The wound wasn't bleeding, but, although it was hard to tell in the twilight, the bruises looked darker. Emma wished they had found a hospital, or at least managed to get out of the woods. She wasn't sure how much longer they could last out here without help.

"That bad, huh?"

Emma bit her lip. "It's not good."

Regina sighed and leaned against a tree, her eyes closed. Emma sat back, wishing there was something she could do. She had lost her phone in the explosion, and they were probably still too deep in the woods for anyone to hear her yelling for help. More than once she had questioned her decision to stay with Regina, instead of going for help herself, but Emma couldn't bring herself to leave her. Apart from the fact she didn't think she'd be able to find Regina again in the forest, she didn't want Regina to be alone if things got worse.

"How does it feel?" Regina asked. Emma looked at her; Regina was gesturing to her shoulder.

"It's okay, I think," Emma replied. She reached her right arm across and slowly untied the sling. Emma rubbed her shoulder and rolled it a few times experimentally. It ached some, but on the whole, Emma considered herself rather lucky. At there didn't seem to be any permanent damage.

"I'm sorry."

Emma frowned, scrutinizing Regina's expression. She wasn't sure Regina had apologized to her, ever, for anything, and she wasn't entirely sure what she was apologizing for now.

"I never meant for any of this to happen," Regina explained, in Emma's silence.

Emma's frown deepened. She didn't know what Regina meant by 'this.' It was hard to forget that Regina was the one who had created such a destructive failsafe in the first place. Even if she hadn't activated it herself, she had still intended to use it when she'd taken it from Maleficent's lair. Was she truly sorry for destroying the town, for separating Emma from her family yet again, or was she just sorry that she had been injured as a result?

"I'm sure you didn't," Emma finally replied. "Nobody ever does."

"I know I don't have the best track record with you," Regina continued. "Or with your family. But please believe me when I say that I never wanted Henry to be hurt."

Emma nodded. Regina's love for Henry was one of the only things Emma felt she truly understood about her.

"I'm sure David and Mary Margaret are taking great care of him," Regina offered.

Emma smiled sadly. The thought of her parents taking care of her son was comforting, but a small part of her wouldn't let go of the idea that it wasn't true. That they hadn't made it over the line, or that they weren't still together, or that they no longer knew who they were, or how they were related to her or Henry. This last thought was almost too painful to bear.

"You think-" Emma's voice caught in her throat. "You really think they made it over the line okay?"

Regina considered this for a long time. Finally she replied, "I think we gave them their best chance."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Emma knew she should say something, that she should appreciate Regina's attempts to actually have a conversation with her, but words just wouldn't come. Her feelings of guilt and fear had been mostly kept at bay by the effort of helping Regina through the forest, but now that she was still, her mind refused to calm. She kept imagining the worst case scenario – her parents dead; her son wandering around the forest alone.

"Emma?"

He'd eventually be found by some hikers or passersby and taken to the nearest town. He'd be entered into the system, brought to some foster family where he would grow up, alone and unwanted. Her heart ached at the thought.

"Emma?"

Emma blinked and shook her head, trying to shake the images from her mind. Regina was looking at her with concern. "Sorry," Emma said. "Just – sorry."

"It's okay," Regina replied. She looked like she was going to ask what was wrong, but perhaps she sensed Emma didn't want to talk about it because she said, "I asked if you were hungry. We could probably find some edible berries or something."

"Oh." Now that Regina had mentioned it, Emma realized she'd barely eaten anything that day. "Right. Okay. I can go."

"I'll come with you," Regina offered.

"No, it's okay," Emma replied, glancing quickly at Regina. She still looked very pale. "You can stay here; you should rest."

"Do you know what you're looking for?" Regina asked as Emma stood up and brushed the pine needles and dirt from her clothes and picked up her jacket.

"I think so," Emma said. It wouldn't be the first time she'd scoured a forest for food. Mary Margaret had taught her some things about survival during their visit to the Enchanted Forest. Emma figured at least some of the fruits would be the same; this was, after all, essentially the same forest.

The dead leaves crunched beneath her boots as she walked. She was careful not to move too quickly and to take in as many details as possible about her surroundings; she had to be able to find Regina again. The light was fading fast now; it was almost completely dark. The moon appeared to be hidden behind the thick tree tops.

Thankfully, the first bush she found had what looked like blackberries. Emma used her jacket to carry as many of them as she could back to their small camp. By the time she had returned, she could barely see Regina in the darkness.

"You sure these are okay?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "It wasn't this dark when I picked them out." Sensing Regina's hesitation, she said, "I'll try them first, but I ate these with Mary Margaret in the Enchanted Forest."

"I'm sure they're fine." Regina chuckled darkly. "Your mother certainly knows a thing or two about surviving in the forest."

Emma bit into a berry, thinking about what Regina had said. It was strange to hear her talk about Mary Margaret this way, as Snow White, and especially about the years during which Regina had pursued her. It struck Emma how strange it was, to be sitting here now, sharing food with her parents' worst enemy. Although they were permanently connected to Regina thanks to Henry, she wasn't sure they would ever be able to fully trust her, or forget what she had done to them back in the Enchanted Forest.

"You should probably try to get some sleep," Emma said once the berries were gone. She picked up her jacket and shook it, clearing off the seeds. Rolling it up, she offered it to Regina. "Here. This will be a more comfortable pillow than tree roots."

Regina took the jacket, and although Emma couldn't see her face clearly in the dark, she could sense her hesitation. "Thanks," she said finally. "But what about you? How will you sleep?"

"I don't plan on sleeping," Emma replied. "I'm going to keep watch."

"You don't have to do that," Regina protested, but Emma cut her off.

"We're in the middle of a dark forest, where God-knows-how-many animals come out at night. I am not sleeping unprotected." She didn't bother to add that it would hardly be the first time she'd stayed awake all night. In fact, compared to the other sleepless nights she had had, sitting with a sleeping Regina in the forest seemed pretty tame.

"Okay," Regina conceded. "You're right. Wake me up in a few hours, and we can take turns."

"Fine," Emma answered, although she had no intention of doing so. She couldn't forget how serious Regina's injuries were. Regina needed rest a lot more than she did, and Emma would definitely _not_ be explaining to Henry that Regina died keeping watch in the middle of the night while Emma was sleeping.

She heard Regina moving around next to her, trying to find a comfortable position. Emma leaned back against the tree and stared up at the starry sky. Where was her family now and what were they doing? Were they out there somewhere in the woods, too, struggling to fall asleep on branches and leaves? She hoped not. She hoped they were somewhere safe, that they had managed to make it to a neighboring town. She hoped they were still together, waiting for her to join them.

She thought Regina had fallen asleep, but several minutes later, she heard a tentative "Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to say thank you," Regina whispered.

"For what?" Emma asked.

"For – everything." Regina exhaled. "I just – I wanted you to know I appreciate what you did – coming back to the mines. You didn't have to do that. So…thank you."

"You're welcome," Emma replied sincerely.

"And…in case something – in case I don't-"

"Hey." Emma touched Regina's shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine. _You're_ going to be fine."

"But – you'll tell Henry I loved him?"

"You'll tell him yourself," Emma answered. "And Henry knows you love him."

She couldn't see Regina's smile, but she knew it was there. "Okay."

* * *

**A/N:** My plan is to update every Monday and Thursday...we'll see how well this goes. The next chapter is written and betad, but I haven't made much progress on chapter 9 yet, so this will be interesting. You can help motivate me and my muse with a review!


	8. Bloodlines

**Disclaimer:** Sigh. Still not mine.

**A/N:** Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You're all wonderful. Special shoutout to my anonymous reviewer **Miri** - I've missed your reviews and I'm glad you were able to catch up!

Much thanks to Melissa for betaing.

* * *

David's heart was heavy as he followed Henry down the dusty road. Despite what the boy had said about the police officers helping people, he still felt uncomfortable that Snow had been so forcibly taken from him. Even though they were doing their job – and even though he could admit that she had been acting strangely – he still didn't like that there were so many things about this world that he simply didn't understand. In the Enchanted Forest, he would have drawn his sword and dueled anyone who tried to take Snow away from him. Here it seemed that even touching one of these strange men in authority wasn't allowed.

There was something about the boy, too, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. David wasn't sure if it was Henry's familiarity with him, or the fact the boy knew so much about his life, but there was something…strange about him. He was sure he had never met Henry before, but it didn't _feel _that way. He was drawn to Henry. It should have been off-putting, meeting a stranger who knew some of his deepest secrets, but Henry didn't seem threatening to him. On the contrary, Henry seemed like he wanted to please David as much as possible.

But there was still the fact that Henry knew so much, which was unsettling in and of itself. David couldn't see why the Evil Queen's curse would have given a boy in another world so much knowledge of his life. Although he wanted to trust Henry, even felt obligated to after Henry had proven that he was not Regina in disguise, a tiny part of him remained uncertain. What if this was all part of an elaborate scheme? He had learned the hard way that no trick was above Regina.

On the other hand, Henry was currently his only ally and acting as guide through this strange land. David decided to trust him, for now, at least. It might be his only chance of finding Emma and Snow again.

"So…" he began awkwardly, casting his mind around for some innocent question. "Did you grow up around here?"

Henry considered him before responding, "Yeah, I did."

"Nice place?"

Henry shrugged. "It's all right."

"Are your parents from here, too?"

There was no mistaking the look of pain that flashed across Henry's face. David immediately regretted his question. Now that he stopped to think about it, he should have considered it odd that Henry was wandering around the forest by himself. What if something had happened to the boy's parents? What if they had been hurt by Regina's curse?

"Sorry," David said when Henry didn't respond. "I didn't – never mind."

"It's okay," Henry said quietly, although David could tell from his tone that it wasn't. "And no, they're not from here."

David wished he had never asked. Henry seemed so sad; David was willing to bet that the boy had lost one or both of his parents, maybe recently. With a pang, he thought of his own mother, who had died less than a year ago. He still thought about her every day.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know you didn't," Henry replied. David glanced at his face, but Henry's expression was unreadable. "I got separated from my mother right when – right when you got here."

David's insides clenched. So something _had _happened to the boy's parents, at least his mother, and what was worse, it seemed like it was Regina's fault. David immediately felt guilty. Regina's curse had destroyed their land, but it had touched this new land as well. Everywhere she went, the path of destruction followed.

"I'm so sorry," David said sincerely, although he figured the boy must consider it a throwaway phrase by now. "I – we – never meant for this to happen."

Henry frowned. "What do you mean?"

David swallowed, aware that what he was about to explain would sound extremely strange. He considered Henry for a long moment, taking in the boy's curious expression. But there was something beyond curiosity reflected in his features, something that looked almost hopeful, like he knew what David was about to say, or hoped he was about to say. He then remembered that Henry knew so much about his life already. Was it possible Henry already knew what he, David, was about to say, too?

"I mean, this curse. The one that brought us here."

Henry exhaled. "That wasn't the curse."

David regarded him with suspicion. "How do you know?"

"Because that curse was already broken," Henry explained.

David suddenly held out his arm, causing Henry to stop. "What do you mean?" he demanded. "That curse can only be broken by Emma, on her twenty-eighth birthday."

Henry nodded. "I know that."

"And you're telling me that it's already been broken? That she's already turned twenty-eight?" David became aware that he was near-shouting at Henry now, but he didn't care. He was terrified by the thought that he could have missed so much of his daughter's life.

"Yes," Henry answered. He spoke with conviction, although David could see uncertainty in his eyes, as though he wasn't sure he was doing the right thing in revealing this to him.

David sank down on a tree trunk as the enormity of Henry's words washed over him. A small part of him wanted to believe that the boy was lying, but deep down he knew that couldn't be true. Henry knew far too much about his life and the Enchanted Forest. He had to have come by this information somehow.

And yet, he had to be sure.

"How did you know?" David asked without looking up at him. "How did you know about Ruth?"

Henry was quiet for a long time before replying, "I read about her in a book."

"A book," David repeated. "What book?"

"There was this book that I used to have," Henry explained. "It had all these stories in it. Stories about you, and Snow, and Red, the dwarves, and Regina. And that's how I learned about the curse. Because Regina threatened it at your wedding, and then Rumpelstiltskin told you how Emma would break it." Henry paused and David looked up. "The book ends with you putting Emma in the wardrobe."

"But – I didn't," David replied in disbelief. "I hadn't put her in there yet."

"You did," Henry assured him.

"Then why don't I remember it?" David asked, frustrated. "How can this be true? I feel like this was just yesterday-"

"It wasn't," Henry replied gently. "That was over twenty-eight years ago now."

David rubbed his eyes and sighed. He had so many questions, he didn't even know what to ask. Or how to ask them. If Regina's curse had already been broken, why weren't they back in the Enchanted Forest? And why couldn't he remember it breaking?

"The curse sent everyone to a town called Storybrooke," Henry began tentatively. "You all had different identities and didn't know about the Enchanted Forest or anything. You lived that way for twenty-eight years, until I brought Emma to you, on her birthday."

David let out a long, slow breath. So he _had_ missed his daughter grow up. He felt completely gutted.

"She broke the curse, and everyone got their memories back. So you were both – you had your fairytale identity and your Storybrooke identity."

"What was my name?" David asked curiously. He wondered if it would spark any memories.

Henry laughed. "David. Your name didn't change."

"And Snow's name?"

"Mary Margaret." Henry looked at him. "Does that sound familiar?"

David shook his head. "No. Should it?"

"No," Henry replied, although he sounded slightly disappointed. "Anyway, even though the curse was broken, you couldn't leave Storybrooke. Crossing the town line would have caused you to lose your fairytale identity forever, leaving you with the Storybrooke one only."

"But what about the Enchanted Forest?" David wanted to know. "Couldn't we have gone back there?"

"You could've," Henry replied. "You were growing magic beans that can take you between worlds."

David's face lit up. "What happened to them? Can we still go back?"

"No." Henry shook his head. "The beanstalks were destroyed. And the few beans that survived have all been used up."

"Okay," David said. "Then what happened?"

"Well…turns out that when Regina designed Storybrooke, she also created a failsafe that would destroy the town and kill everyone not born in this world."

"So, basically, everyone," David interjected. That sounded like Regina.

"Right, basically everyone," Henry agreed. "The failsafe got activated, and Regina tried to slow it down to save everyone. You and Snow and everyone else were going to cross the town line. Since the failsafe would only destroy the town, you thought your best chance would be on the other side."

"But our memories," David pointed out. "I thought you said the line couldn't be crossed."

"Mother – I mean – the Blue Fairy had made this potion that would restore your fairytale memories. The plan was to drink it after crossing the line."

"So that's why I can't remember anything?" David asked, frowning. "Because of that potion?"

"No," Henry said. "I think that's why you _can_ remember. The failsafe went off and completely destroyed the town." He hesitated and then added, "I'm not sure, but I think I know why you don't remember any of this. I think that when the town was destroyed, all of your town memories were destroyed, too. So that's why you only have the fairytale ones, and you think it's twenty-eight years ago."

David ran his hand through his hair, thinking about what Henry had said. Even though hearing the explanation hadn't jogged any memories, what the boy said made sense. It seemed plausible, at least. It made about as much sense as everything else in this world.

"But…" David began slowly. "If the curse is already broken, and it's twenty-eight years later, then where's Emma?"

Henry looked at him sadly. "I don't know. She went to help Regina slow the failsafe down to give you more time to escape…" Henry's voice trailed off. He cleared his throat nervously and then said, "Remember when I said I was separated from my mother when you got here?" David nodded. "It actually happened a bit before that…"

David froze. "You mean - your mother is Regina?"

"No." Henry shook his head. "It's Emma."

* * *

**A/N:** Boom. Stuff's happening. Next chapter will take us back to Emma and Regina, in which they find another familiar face wandering around the forest. Any guesses who? I hope to post again on Thursday or Friday.


	9. Take the Lead

**Disclaimer:** Nada es mio.

**A/N:** TGIF. Sorry to disappoint those of you hoping for a Thursday post. Work this week was pretty horrible, so I just haven't really been in the right frame of mind. Thank you so, so much to everyone who reviewed. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to respond to each of you personally, but know that your reviews and support are very much appreciated.

Thanks to Melissa for betaing, per usual.

* * *

Pale sunlight streamed through the thick branches. Emma blinked, shielding her eyes from the sun. She hadn't meant to fall asleep. She rolled her shoulders and neck, working out the tension and knots. The forest floor had been rather uncomfortable.

Next to her, Regina was still sleeping. Emma breathed a sigh of relief; they had made it through the night. Emma gently tugged Regina's shirt up to check on the bruises. They were deep purple and looked even worse in the daylight. The blood around the wound had congealed. Emma wished they had something other than dirty clothes to cover the wound; otherwise, they might be dealing with infection next. She chewed on her lip, thinking hard. They had to make it to a hospital today.

As quietly as possible, Emma got to her feet. She peered through the trees, trying to see if anything looked more familiar now that it was light out. She was disheartened that it did not; the woods seemed as ubiquitous as ever. She hoped Regina would have better luck recognizing where they were.

Emma leaned against the tree, massaging her stiff shoulder. It crossed her mind that she should try to find something for breakfast; Regina would probably appreciate having something to eat when she woke up. She didn't want to leave Regina alone, as she still didn't trust the woods, but the berries from last night weren't that far away. Just as Emma decided to find the berries again, something red caught her eye.

"Ruby?"

Emma took a few steps forward. She could just make out Ruby, standing against another tree. Emma was flooded with relief. Finally, they had run into someone familiar.

"Ruby!"

Ruby glanced in her direction and Emma hurried toward her. "I'm so glad I found you," Emma said when she was close enough for Ruby to hear. "I had no idea what—Hey!"

Ruby had bolted. Emma glanced back in Regina's direction, torn between her desire to talk to Ruby and her worry over leaving Regina alone. She made a split second decision to leave her. They hadn't seen anyone from Storybrooke since before the failsafe went off, and she couldn't lose her chance to find out what had happened. Maybe Ruby would even know the way out of the forest; if nothing else, her keen sense of smell could help them find a nearby town.

"Ruby!" Emma called as she ran through the forest. "Ruby, wait!"

But Ruby continued to run. Emma chased her deeper into the forest. Emma couldn't understand why Ruby was running away, or why she was deaf to Emma's calls. Emma was suddenly struck by a terrifying thought. What if she was no longer Ruby?

"Red!" Emma called desperately. She was finding it very difficult to keep up with Ruby's pace. "Red, stop!"

Several feet ahead, Ruby stopped and whirled around. "Who are you?" she demanded, advancing on Emma. "How do you know my name?"

"It's me," Emma replied, startled. "Emma."

"I don't know any Emmas," Ruby replied, stepping closer, her expression menacing. For the first time, Emma truly saw the wolf behind Ruby's features.

"You don't – you don't know who I am?" Emma asked. But she already knew the answer, had known it from the moment she had decided to call Ruby "Red" and Ruby had turned around. Ruby no longer knew who she was. And what was worse, Ruby was no longer Ruby, but Red…

"That's what I said," Ruby answered. "But how do you know my name?"

"I-" Emma faltered. She wasn't sure how to explain it. "I – we – knew each other, once," she said finally.

Ruby continued to regard her with suspicion. "Did _she_ send you here?"

"She who?" Emma asked.

"The Evil Queen." Ruby's expression darkened. "You're part of her curse, aren't you?"

"I – what?"

"Never mind," Ruby said quickly, turning to leave.

"Wait," Emma said, catching Ruby's arm. "Wait, don't go. I can help you."

"How?"

"I – I know this land," Emma replied, thinking fast. "I can help you find what you're looking for."

Ruby considered this offer. Emma had no idea what Ruby was looking for, or if she could help her find it, but she couldn't let her leave. Emma had to know what had happened to her family and everyone else who had crossed the line. Had everyone lost their Storybrooke selves? Had their identities been destroyed along with the town? With a heavy heart, she realized that her parents no longer knew who she was – or who Henry was. Fear gripped her. What if they had abandoned him? What if he had been lost amidst the fear and confusion?

Finally, Red shook her head, drawing Emma from her dark thoughts. "No. I know what you're doing. You're trying to trick me."

"Trick you?" Emma said, confused. Of all the answers Ruby could have given, she hadn't been expecting that one. "Why would I do that?"

Ruby's eyes narrowed. "I saw what happened yesterday."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"When the guards took Snow White away." Emma bit the inside of her lip to keep her mouth from dropping open. "She was talking about Regina and the curse, asking questions. I tried to follow her, but I lost track of her scent."

Emma processed this information slowly. She wasn't sure what Ruby meant by guards, but she figured they must be some kind of law enforcement. Storybrooke's destruction had probably drawn the attention of the local precincts. "What happened to David?" she asked, almost dreading the answer.

Ruby stared at her. "Who's David?"

"Sorry – Charming," Emma amended. Apart from the fact her father's Storybrooke identity was probably gone, Emma vaguely recalled Henry telling her that her father was a twin, and everyone back in the Enchanted Forest thought his name was James.

"I don't know," Ruby said. "When I lost track of Snow's scent, I came back to the clearing where everyone had been at the start of the curse. But he was gone, along with everyone else."

"Have you seen anyone else since then?" Emma asked.

Ruby shook her head. "No one I know. But I have seen other people, people from _this _land."

"You have?" Emma said eagerly. If Ruby had seen people she didn't recognize, then perhaps she had come across another town. At the very least, these people would be able to point her in the direction of the nearest hospital. "Where?"

"Over there," Ruby said dismissively, waving her hand.

"Why don't you come with me?" Emma suggested. "I can do the talking, make sure you don't come across as suspicious." Ruby hesitated, so Emma pressed, "They won't take you away, I promise. And they will probably be able to help you find…whatever you're looking for."

"Okay," Ruby agreed. "But only to the clearing."

Emma smiled at her. At last, it seemed like something was going right. As Emma followed in Ruby's wake, her thoughts turned back to Regina. Ruby was taking her even further from where she and Regina had spent the night. Emma wished she had left a note or something for Regina, telling her where she had gone. She didn't want Regina to think she had abandoned her.

"Those are the guards," Ruby whispered.

Emma looked over where Ruby was pointing. They had reached a road, and what was more, there were two patrol cars and a few police officers. Emma exhaled in relief. She had finally found someone who could bring Regina to a hospital.

"They won't hurt you," Emma assured her, but Ruby shook her head.

"No, you go. I'll wait here."

"How will they know what you're looking for if you wait here?" Emma asked.

"Just ask if they've seen anyone. Anyone, you know, like me," Ruby replied. Emma wondered if she was talking about Granny. Now that she thought about it, she should have asked what had happened. Ruby and Granny were rarely apart.

But there wasn't time now. The officers were getting into their cars. "All right," Emma agreed quickly. "Don't move." Hurrying forward, she called out, "Excuse me, officers?"

They stopped and turned around. "Can I help you, ma'am?" one of them asked.

"Yes," Emma said. She was close enough to see his nametag now, which read Officer Holbrooke. "I was – camping – in the woods with a friend, and she's badly injured. She fell yesterday and she's bleeding internally."

"Have you called for help?" Holbrooke asked.

"No," Emma replied. "Our cell phones are dead. You're the first person I've seen since it happened."

"You know where she is?"

Emma nodded. "I think so."

Holbrooke reached for his radio. "All units, be advised. We have a female camper badly injured in the forest. Requesting immediate medical assistance. Will call in coordinates."

"Thank you." Emma breathed a sigh of relief. Emma glanced back to where Ruby was waiting and was disappointed, although not entirely surprised, to see that Ruby was gone. Emma hoped she would be able to find her again later.

"Manning!" Holbrooke called out to one of the other officers. "Got an injured woman in the forest. This woman's going to take me to her. Wait for the ambulance here. I'll radio in the location when we get there." Emma saw Manning's nod, and then Holbrooke turned back to her. "Lead the way."

* * *

**A/N:** Shook things up a bit in this chapter, but expect a lot of very big changes soon! I'll try to post again early next week. In the meantime, please brighten my day with a nice review!


	10. Until We Find Her

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**A/N:** Hey everyone, so I'm really sorry. A lot of things have happened that have prevented me from posting sooner. One is my horrible job, which thankfully will be over in two days. The other is unfortunately more pressing: my computer is now down for the count. This has made writing difficult and will make posting for a while nearly impossible, especially since I will be going out of town for a few weeks. With that said, this is probably going to be the last chapter for a while.

But there's still this chapter! Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed the last one. I know I say this a lot, but seriously, you people make my day.

Much thanks to Melissa for betaing.

* * *

When Henry opened his eyes, it was finally morning. He was relieved he had managed to fall asleep at last. Although David had done his best to make him comfortable on the forest floor, Henry had lain awake for hours, his mind tormented by thoughts of what could have happened to Emma and Regina. He tried to take comfort in the fact that David was finally on his side, had seemed to accept the story about the curse and Storybrooke without argument, but even this could not dispel the feelings of dread welling in his chest.

Although he and David had spent the rest of the day searching for signs of Emma and Regina around where Storybrooke had once been, they had found none. There was no indication that the town had existed at all. Even landmarks like the Toll Bridge were gone. Henry had tried to stay positive for David's sake, but by the time night had fallen, they had both accepted defeat and gone to bed with heavy hearts.

Henry was bothered by the fact they still hadn't met anyone else from Storybrooke running around the forest. He supposed it was possible they had stayed together after the failsafe went off, and had all taken shelter somewhere, but there was no sign of them anywhere. He wondered how far away the neighboring towns were, and whether or not their residents would be welcoming to a bunch of people claiming to be fairytale characters.

David was still asleep next to him on their makeshift bed of leaves. Henry sat up and hugged his knees to his chest. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he had barely eaten in the past day, but Henry didn't feel remotely hungry. On the contrary, his constant worrying over the fate of his mothers was making him feel sick. Despite the fact his grandfather was right next to him, Henry had never felt so alone.

Tears threatened to fall and Henry hurriedly blinked them back. He didn't want to upset David or worry him further. He had to stay strong. He had often envied the adventures of his grandparents, but now that he was on one of his own, Henry thought he preferred to just read about them in books. No one wrote about the emotional toll that these adventures took. Henry sniffled and buried his head in his knees.

A moment later, he felt a gentle hand on his back. "It's all right," David said softly. "I'm worried, too."

Henry didn't trust himself to look up, not wanting David to see him crying. He merely nodded, his forehead digging into his knees.

"Why don't you tell me about her?" David suggested.

Henry knew that he was talking about Emma. It was strange to think that David didn't even know what she looked like. Henry had avoided giving too many details about Emma yesterday because he hadn't wanted to overwhelm his grandfather. David finding out that he _was_ a grandfather had probably been overwhelming enough.

Henry sat up and rubbed his now dry eyes. David slid his arm around Henry's shoulders, and Henry was inwardly grateful that his grandfather didn't expect him to turn around just yet. He would never cease to be amazed at his grandparents' compassion. It was one thing to read about it in stories, but another to experience it firsthand.

"She's a lot like you," Henry began. "She's blonde, for one thing. And she knows how to fight. She was the sheriff of Storybrooke, and before that she was a bounty hunter."

"A bounty hunter," David repeated. "Cool."

"Yeah," Henry agreed. "She is very cool. She's tough, too, and pretty stubborn," Henry added, thinking about how long it had taken him to convince Emma that the curse was real. That felt so long ago now.

"That sounds like my daughter," David said. "Did we ever fight together?"

"Sometimes," Henry answered. "You were her deputy sheriff. It was kind of like the family business."

David laughed. "And does she like me?"

"She likes you," Henry assured him. "She likes Mary – I mean, Snow - too. They used to be roommates."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, they still live together," Henry replied. "But after the curse was broken, you moved in, too." He smiled, thinking of the one particularly embarrassing incident, shortly after Emma and Mary Margaret had returned from the Enchanted Forest, that was forever imprinted on his brain. He decided not to remind David of that just now.

"Is she happy?" David wanted to know.

"I think so," Henry answered. "She wasn't always, but she's been happy since she finally found her parents."

"Did she forgive us?" David asked quietly. "For putting her in the wardrobe, and for sending her away?"

Henry turned to face his grandfather at last. He could read in David's expression that this question bothered him most of all.

"I think she has," Henry said. "She knows why you did it. She understands sacrifice. That's why she went back to slow down the failsafe." _It's also why she gave me up for adoption_, Henry wanted to add. But he left that detail out. He didn't want to explain Regina's presence in their lives just yet.

"We're going to find her," David reassured him. "I know it."

Henry nodded. He was sure they would find Emma eventually. The question was the state they would find her in.

"Come on," David said, standing up and extending his hand to Henry. "Let's try to find something to eat for breakfast. Looking for her will be easier with a full stomach."

Henry allowed David to pull him to his feet and noticed that some of the sickening weight in his stomach had been lifted. He brushed the dirt off of his clothes and followed David through the trees.

"These berries look fine," David said, pointing to a blackberry bush. He picked some off and handed them to Henry. "Don't worry," he assured him. "They're not poisonous. Snow and I used to eat these in the Enchanted Forest."

Henry smiled. As strange as it was, he liked hearing David talk about Mary Margaret as Snow White. It was like his fairytales were coming to life before his eyes.

"So," David began as he picked more berries, "when we find Emma, will she recognize us?"

Henry appreciated that his grandfather had said if and not when. "I think so," he said. "I mean, she never had a Storybrooke identity, since she wasn't cursed. So she wouldn't have an identity to lose. She was also able to cross the town line, back when the town still existed. I think she'll be fine…as long as she made it over the line in time."

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"I mean…I'm not sure where she was when the failsafe went off. And the idea was that it would destroy everyone not born in this world." Henry sighed. "So even though Emma wasn't cursed, she would still be affected by the failsafe because she wasn't born here."

"But only if she was still in Storybrooke at the time?"

"That's what I think," Henry replied. "It seems like if you crossed the line, you're okay, because, well, you and Snow survived."

David nodded as he processed this information. Henry bit his lip, wondering if he should have said anything. He hadn't wanted to worry David, but at the same time, he had to prepare his grandfather for the possibility that they wouldn't find Emma at all.

"So we just keep looking," David said finally. "Until we find her."

"Until we find her," Henry agreed.

"Let's keep going," David suggested. "We should try to cover as much ground as possible. Maybe we can find someone who's seen her."

"Maybe," Henry replied, although he was doubtful. Even if someone from Storybrooke had seen Emma, they wouldn't have recognized her.

They continued in silence, the dead leaves crunching beneath their feet as they walked. Henry looked around, but all he could see were trees. He wondered if Emma and Regina had even recognized where they had ended up after Storybrooke had been destroyed. Henry found the never-ending trees extremely disorienting.

As they continued on, something on the ground near one of the trees caught Henry's eye. He squinted, wanting to make sure he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing. Henry's heart beat wildly in his chest. He wanted to be right, but if he was, it would change everything.

They moved closer, and suddenly Henry was sure.

"Mom!

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know. It's really mean to end on a cliffhanger. Think of it like the midseason finale. It's keeping in the spirit of the show to torture us fans this way. I will be doing everything I can to update soon (including writing out chapters by hand to be typed later). Hopefully when all my computer issues get resolved, I'll have a string of chapters waiting to be posted. Thanks for reading and bearing with me.


	11. The Life of the Enemy

**Disclaimer:** Nada, nada, nada.

**A/N:** I AM BACK. I have a shiny new computer (pats computer, it is soooo prettyyy) and it has Word and we are in BUSINESS. I really appreciate all of you sticking around for me while I battled technology. The good news is that absence certainly makes the heart grow fonder: without being able to write, I was able to spend a lot of time thinking about the story and its direction. So far this has turned into a few chapters (written through 13, working on 14 currently). I hope to keep up the momentum and keep the updates coming for all of you who have waited so patiently.

Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed the last chapter. I'm really sorry if I didn't reply to you individually; my internet/computer access have been rather limited. But I appreciate you awesome people and your awesome reviews all the same.

Much thanks also to Melissa for betaing, per usual.

* * *

"Mom!"

David's heart skipped a beat. He looked toward where Henry was running; he was aiming for a prone figure under a tree. David's heart threatened to pound out of his chest as he ran after his grandson.

Any minute now, he would be with her, meeting her, taking her into his arms for the first time. _Well not the first time_, he corrected himself, just the first time he could remember doing it. He thought about what Henry had said about Emma breaking the curse and restoring everyone's memories. He wondered if something similar was about to happen now.

Henry was already there and crouched next to her. David came up behind him. "Is it-?"

But the words died in his throat. When Henry turned around to look at him, David had seen the woman's face, and it wasn't Emma's. There was no mistaking that dark hair, the high eyebrows, or the prominent cheekbones.

It was Regina.

"Henry!" David exclaimed, springing into action. He grabbed Henry by his shoulders and pulled him back, ignoring his grandson's protests. "Get away from her!"

"No!" Henry cried. "Please - you have to help her. She won't wake up! She's really hurt, look…"

David looked over to where Henry was pointing. He could see a dark red bloodstain on her shirt.

"Henry…" David's voice trailed off. It occurred to him that while he could see his worst enemy, Henry might actually be seeing his mother. "Henry, this isn't Emma," he tried to explain. "I know you think that, but it's Regina in disguise. She's done this to us before, to me and Snow."

Henry turned around and David saw that his grandson's eyes were wide with trepidation. "I know this isn't Emma," Henry said at last.

David stared. "You do? Do you - do you know who this is?"

Henry nodded. He chewed on his lip, looking from David to Regina. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he began. "I didn't - I didn't want to lie to you, but I didn't want you to freak out."

"You lied to me?" David instinctively drew back. The boy had once again become a threat. "You're not really my grandson?"

"No, I am!" Henry exclaimed. David saw tears at the corner of the boy's eyes. "I am, I promise I am. Emma really is my mother. But _she's_ my mother, too."

"What do you mean?" David's mouth had suddenly gone very dry.

"I - this is what I didn't tell you before," Henry said. "Emma gave birth to me, but she didn't raise me. She gave me up for adoption. Regina adopted me."

David let out a slow breath. So Regina had found a way into their lives, even in this world. She had raised his grandson. She had influenced his daughter's life. He wondered if she had even forced Emma into the adoption, knowing that having control over her son, her bloodline, would forever entangle her in the lives of her enemy.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," Henry continued hurriedly. "But please, can we talk about this later? She's really hurt. We need to get her out of here."

David crossed his arms, watching Henry try to shake Regina awake. He didn't know what to think. Part of him wanted to run away from the boy, as far away as possible, and leave him with the dying queen. He wasn't sure he could trust anything that Henry said now, knowing that he was so close to Regina, that he called the woman who had attempted to murder his grandparents multiple times his _mother._

But another part, the part that could see the traces of Snow in the boy's features, and the part that had been grateful for Henry's help the day before, couldn't help wondering if what Henry said was true. The fact still remained that Henry knew things about his life, things that there was no way Regina could have known. If Henry had truly read about these stories in a book, it wasn't one that had been written by Regina. And he had to have come across that information somehow…

"Please!" Henry begged. "Please, please help her. I don't care what happens after. You can leave me with her and go find Emma on your own. But please, I can't carry her out of here by myself. She needs help. We have to get her to a hospital. You can't just let her die!"

David stayed silent. Maybe he _did_ just want to let her die. He had ordered her execution once, after all, and Regina would have died had it not been for Snow's last minute cry for mercy. If Regina died, she would be out of their lives permanently, never able to inflict pain on them again, in this world or any other. And this time, it wouldn't even have to be done by his hand.

But then he looked at Henry's tearstained face and his resolve shook. If Henry was telling the truth, then Regina was part of their family, for better or for worse. And besides that, there was something unsettling about letting her die when he knew he could do something to save her.

"Please!" Henry cried again. "You're supposed to be the hero. You save people, even her. You've done it before," Henry reminded him. "You could have let her die so many times, but you _didn't_. You stopped her execution. You didn't let Snow kill her with an arrow in the forest."

"I did that for Snow," David replied. "Not for Regina." Even as he said it, he realized that this was yet another confirmation that Henry hadn't learned everything about him and Snow from Regina. There was no way Snow had told Regina about this failed attempt on her life.

"So do it for me," Henry pressed. "She might be able to help you find Emma. They were supposed to be together. Maybe she knows where she is."

David considered this, although even as he did, his heart sank. If Regina was this badly injured, he didn't even want to think about the state that Emma could be in. And why weren't they together? Perhaps Emma had never made it out of Storybrooke alive. Maybe Regina had abandoned her and saved herself instead.

"Please," Henry whispered. "She sacrificed herself to save you, and Snow, and me - to save all of us. She stayed behind with Emma to slow the failsafe down. You wouldn't even _be_ here if it weren't for her."

David sighed and rubbed his eyes. He wanted to trust Henry, could even believe that what he was saying was true, but it was still hard to accept. David tried to remind himself that this woman had raised his grandson, had created a new identity for herself in this new world that she had created. Henry seemed to have turned out all right. She couldn't be that horrible. Maybe she had even changed, as Snow had insisted so many times that she would. Maybe this Regina would be more like the young woman who had once saved his wife from a runaway horse, and less like the monster who had cursed them at their wedding and torn their family apart.

David closed his eyes and tried to imagine what Snow would do if she were here. That answer was much easier.

"Fine," he said at last. "I'll help. Let's get her out of here." He thought about adding a, _Then you're on your own_, but stopped himself. He couldn't bring himself to abandon his grandson, even if he had omitted the part about Regina being his mother, too. Besides, perhaps there was some truth in Henry's words that Regina knew where his daughter was now.

"Thank you." Henry smiled at him.

David didn't smile back as he knelt down next to Regina and pressed his fingers to her neck. She had a pulse, but it was weak. Tentatively, he pressed down on the bloodstain. Her abdomen was completely rigid.

He didn't mention this to Henry, not wanting to worry him further. Instead, he scooped Regina up and began walking. If they were going to save her, they had to find help soon. Now that he had committed himself to saving Henry's adoptive mother, he was going to make damn sure that she didn't die on him.

* * *

**A/N:** Next chapter is Emma - will she finally find her family? And then we'll be checking in on Snow, still staring at the birds in the loony bin. Please make my day with a review! I'll be updating again soon.


	12. Commitment

**Disclaimer:** Still own nothing.

**A/N:** It's so nice to be able to post chapters regularly again! Thank you so, so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I'm so grateful to have so many wonderful readers and reviewers who enjoy and follow this story.

Much thanks to Melissa for betaing, especially with all her srs qstns.

* * *

Dead leaves crunched beneath her feet as Emma led Officer Holbrooke back into the woods. She inwardly cursed herself for not paying more attention to her surroundings when she had been chasing Ruby; the trees already looked the same. Emma thought she had a fairly good idea of where she and Regina had been, but now she wasn't certain. She hoped the officer would be patient if she couldn't find Regina right away.

"Pretty far in there, huh?" Holbrooke remarked as they continued deeper into the forest.

"Oh – yeah," Emma replied. "I guess we were."

Holbrooke nodded. "How long have you folks been camping out here?"

"Um, just since yesterday," Emma replied.

"You see anything unusual?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, her pulse quickening. Could he possibly be talking about…?

"There were a bunch of people wandering around here yesterday," he explained. "Strange people."

"Strange how?" Emma tried to keep the growing excitement out of her voice. Storybrooke residents as their fairytale selves would certainly qualify as strange. If Holbrooke had been one of the officers who arrived on the scene, perhaps he had seen her family.

"Just a lot of crazies," he replied. "Muttering about foreign lands and curses. Magic stuff, you know. Never seen anything like it around here."

"Where did they come from?" Emma asked.

The officer shrugged. "No idea. It's like they appeared out of thin air or something. We get a lot of campers in these woods, but these people didn't look like campers. They looked completely lost."

"They just appeared out of nowhere?" Emma asked. "How is that possible?"

Holbrooke shook his head. "Don't know. We had a few witnesses say there was a loud explosion; that's why we were called to the scene in the first place. We thought it was a gas line alongside the woods that burst or something. Utility is still working on that. We figured they were all frightened and fled to the woods."

Emma frowned. The explosion had to be the result of the failsafe. She wondered if the utility workers would find anything. Surely anything connected to Storybrooke had been destroyed along with the town. "And all these people were just walking around the forest?"

"That's right," Holbrooke said. "Blank faces, all of them."

"Maybe they were traumatized," Emma suggested.

"Maybe," he said, although he looked doubtful.

"What happened to them?"

"Took them in," he said. "For their own protection, you know. I don't think we got all of them, though. There were lots of people wandering around the street at first, but some of them disappeared. That's why we've got the patrol cars stationed there, in case any of them come back. These people need a one-way ticket to the loony bin."

Emma nodded noncommittally, thinking hard. Ruby had told her that the guards took Snow away; perhaps these guards were police officers who had brought her to a local hospital for a psych evaluation. Emma bit her lip. What did that mean for David and Henry? What if they had been taken away, too? She wondered if it was possible they were in the group that had escaped, wandering around the forest trying to stay away from these strange police officers.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

Emma turned. Holbrooke was staring at her. "Sorry," Emma said quickly. "Did you say something?"

"I asked if we were there yet," Holbrooke said. "I've got people waiting for me to radio in."

"Oh, right." Emma looked around. Her eyes fell on a blackberry bush. "I think it's up ahead this way. We ate some of those berries last night."

"All right," he said, following her toward the bush. She heard him relaying information over the radio to the other officers.

As she approached the bush, Emma realized it was the same one. Up ahead she could see the small clearing where they had spent the night. "It's this way!" she called over her shoulder as she quickened her pace. She hoped that Regina was still asleep. She didn't want Regina to think she had abandoned her.

Emma reached the clearing and her eyes immediately fell on her black jacket. It was still rolled up into the makeshift pillow, but there was no sign of Regina.

"Is she here?" Holbrooke had arrived.

"She was right here," Emma said, pointing to the jacket. "She was sleeping when I left." She glanced around. There didn't seem to be anyone except them. "Regina!" she called. "Are you here? Regina!"

"Regina?" Holbrooke was looking at her curiously.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Yes, that's her name."

But something in Holbrooke's expression seemed to change. He was still staring at her, and Emma noticed his glance had become more suspicious.

"What?" Emma demanded. "It's not such an unusual name."

"Ma'am," Holbrooke began calmly. "There are no Reginas. That's just a delusion. No one was here." He stepped forward and placed what he thought was a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to take you somewhere safe now."

"No!" Emma jerked her shoulder away from him, ignoring the sharp twinge of pain as she did. "I'm not crazy, and I'm not making this up. She was here, and she's hurt. She may even be dying."

"But she's not here now," he pointed out.

"But she _was_," Emma insisted. She wanted to add more, but decided against it. Holbrooke was already on high alert because of the Storybrooke residents from yesterday. She didn't want to give him any reason to think she should be carted off to the asylum, too. "I'm going to look over there. It's possible she woke up and went looking for me."

She didn't wait for Holbrooke's reply. She could hear him muttering into his radio as she left, but couldn't catch the words. He was probably requesting back up, which was fine by her; the more people they had out there, the greater chance they would find Regina.

Emma grew increasingly worried as she moved farther away from their campsite. Judging from the state Regina had been in last night, there was no way she could have made it this far without help. Emma wondered if someone had found her – or worse, if someone from Storybrooke had. She knew several of the residents would love nothing more than to kill the Evil Queen.

"Regina!" Emma called again. "Are you out here? Can you hear me?"

It occurred to her that maybe Regina _couldn't_ hear her, but she tried to push those thoughts from her mind. She had all but promised that they would make it out alive. Above all, Emma didn't want to explain to her son how she had cost him yet another parent.

"Damn it, Regina," Emma muttered as she stumbled over a protruding tree root. "If you're out here, say something! Where are you?"

She heard movement behind her and her heart leapt. She turned around, hoping to see Regina at last, but instead found herself face to face with Officer Holbrooke.

"Come with me, ma'am," he commanded. "You need to get out of here."

Emma crossed her arms. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving her behind." She knew she wasn't helping her case, but she couldn't give up her first and maybe only chance to get Regina to safety. Maybe if she stalled for time, Regina would turn up again from wherever she'd wandered off to.

Holbrooke wasn't so patient. He grabbed at her arm, but Emma was too quick for him. "Hey!" she snapped, snatching her arm back. "Don't touch me!"

Holbrooke reached for her again and Emma took off running. She knew it wasn't the best idea, knew that she was only getting further away from Regina, but she couldn't allow herself to be captured. There was no way she could help Regina while locked up. At the same time, it didn't seem like there was much she could do for her now. It was increasingly clear that Regina was no longer in the area. Emma silently cursed her for not staying in one place, and then cursed herself for not leaving some kind of message before she'd taken off after Ruby. And then again for losing Ruby in the first place.

_Ruby._

_I saw what happened yesterday,_ Ruby had said. _When the _guards_ took Snow White away._ If Emma was right in thinking that the guards were the officers, then perhaps everything wasn't lost after all. There was nothing she could do for Regina, but maybe there was something she could do for someone else.

She knew what she had to do.

Emma slowed her pace as she heard Holbrooke speeding up behind her and turned around to face him. She didn't flinch as he grabbed her arm, mumbling something about coming down to answer a few questions. She could see in his expression that he was lying anyway: there was no way he would take her to a precinct.

She didn't say a word as she allowed herself to be led back to the main road, where the other officers were waiting by the car. Protesting at this point would be futile. The door slammed shut and they were off. Emma closed her eyes and hoped that she had made the right choice. She hoped that Regina was somewhere safe already, and not still out there, slowly bleeding to death – and that she was right, and she wasn't going to the precinct, but to the asylum, as Holbrooke had threatened so many times.

Most of all, she hoped that she would find her mother there when she arrived.

* * *

**A/N:** I told many of you Emma would be meeting a parent very soon...I'll try to post again on Sunday! Leave me your thoughts in a review!


	13. Worlds Away

**Disclaimer:** Still not mine.

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, especially **Lady Anne Boleyn**, who submitted my 100th review! And another shoutout to **SwanQueen4055** for being the 50th reader to follow this story. I'm so grateful that so many new people are reading this story, even twelve chapters in.

Also, major thanks to Melissa for betaing and turning the sinking ship around.

* * *

Snow drummed her fingers on the windowsill of the common room, staring at the birds outside. She knew her time was running out; Adam would be back to take her to her room soon. Snow watched the birds intently, wishing she could will one of them to come to the window. She used to be able to make birds land right in the palm of her hand, but it seemed like the thick glass of the window prevented them from communicating. Snow stopped drumming and rested her head on her hand with a sigh. Even if she could get one of the birds to come to her, she doubted she would be able to send a message without drawing attention to herself. The people here watched her all the time, and she got the feeling they wouldn't think highly of her talking to birds or any other animal.

"Time for lunch, Mary Margaret."

Snow turned around. Adam was standing behind her, his customary smile on his face. She forced herself to smile back as he helped her to her feet. Snow glanced longingly over her shoulder at the birds as he led her from the room.

"Bird watching again, I see," he remarked as they walked down the hall.

"I like the birds," Snow said quietly. She had already figured out it was best to respond when spoken to; the people who worked here seemed to like her better when she did that.

"I got you extra pudding today," Adam said as he unlocked the door to her room. "It's vanilla."

"Thank you," Snow replied automatically, wondering what pudding was. She wished she actually felt like eating. To her dismay, Adam remained standing by the door after placing the tray of food in front of her. Unwillingly, Snow picked up a fork and began poking at the meat. The food here was disgusting.

"The doctors tell me you're not eating," Adam said. She caught the hint of warning in his tone and took a bite. Given how they had practically forced the pills down her throat before bedtime last night, she knew they wouldn't be above force-feeding her either.

She chewed in silence and was grateful that Adam didn't say anything else. She still didn't understand how this place worked. She had been visited by several people the previous day, although she couldn't remember any of their names. It had been a lot of white coats and Adam. Everyone had asked questions, but she had no answers. _I don't know_ was the most common one she gave. She didn't see the point in trying to explain the truth to them, that she wasn't from this land and had been brought here by the Evil Queen's curse. That she was looking for her baby. These people didn't seem to be the type to appreciate or understand magic.

Adam was her favorite of the people she had met so far. At least he didn't keep insisting there was something wrong with her, although he didn't stop the other people from doing it, either. She could tell he felt sorry for her, but seemed powerless to do anything about it. There was something pitiful about that, too, just as there had been something pitiful about the guards that Regina had forced to do her bidding, or the huntsman who had been ordered to kill her. Even if she hadn't found Regina in this world, there were traces of her everywhere.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Snow looked up from her tray, considering him. Adam had tried this before, asking friendly questions about her life to try to get her to open up. She hadn't really answered any of them. _Where are you from?_ had been met by a shrug, and _Is there anything you want to talk about?_ had resulted in a head shake. At least this time he had asked permission before launching into the interrogation.

Taking advantage of her silence, Adam continued, "I'm not trying to pry, I promise. I do this with all my patients. Try to get to know them a bit better. We might be spending a lot of time together. I like knowing who I'm working with."

Snow stared at him in silence. She sincerely hoped they wouldn't be spending a lot of time together.

"Well, I'll just ask, and you can decide if you want to answer," Adam said when she still hadn't responded. Snow turned back to her food. She probably couldn't answer whatever it was anyway.

"Do you have a family out there looking for you?"

Snow swallowed hard and lowered her fork back to her tray. The thought of Charming wandering around the unknown forest with a strange boy, and her baby daughter, crying, lost and alone, was almost more than she could bear. She had done her best not to think about them, had tried to push them as far from her mind as possible, because dwelling on them for too long made her cry. She couldn't find space to grieve for them here because she was constantly being watched. Snow didn't want to give anyone any more reason to think she was crazy. She just wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. Granted, if yesterday had been any indication, what was out there was no better than the world in here.

"Sorry," Adam said when he realized that she wasn't going to answer. "Forget it."

But Snow couldn't forget it. Now that Adam had brought it up, she couldn't stop thinking about what her family was doing out there. Had they made it through the night? Had Charming managed to find shelter somewhere? Had he gotten rid of the boy yet? And who had taken care of baby Emma? Was she even in this world, or was she still back in the castle, crying for her parents who were worlds away?

She didn't hear Adam leave, but when she looked up, he was gone. She hoped that he hadn't gone off to find one of the doctors. No doubt they would be very interested to hear that she had refused to answer yet another question. Snow pushed the remaining food around with her fork for a moment before deciding that she didn't want to eat any more of it. She placed the tray on the floor by the bed and then lay down, pulling her legs into her chest.

She had changed out of the strange clothes she had been in yesterday. Adam had given her a thin white dress to wear. Snow pulled at it; it was rather itchy and uncomfortable. At least it was white, a familiar color. She brought her hand to her hair, running it through the short strands. She still hadn't gotten used to her pixie cut.

She exhaled slowly as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She was surprised that after crying for so long yesterday she even had tears left. She hugged her knees closer, trying to regain control of herself and her mind. The doctors would be back soon, probably with questions or pills or both. Snow shoved her hand inside the pillowcase and breathed a sigh of relief. The pill she had spat out after breakfast when Adam wasn't looking was still there. At least the people here didn't search pillowcases, although they seemed to pay such close attention to every other aspect of her life. She had no idea what these pills would do to her, and she wasn't about to find out. What if they made her forget everything? All she had to hold onto were the memories.

Snow's breathing gradually slowed and she stretched out her legs, rolling onto her back. She found herself staring up at a light; it looked like some kind of torch captured in a bubble. Snow shielded her eyes and turned away. After a moment, she got up and flipped the strange switch on the wall. The room was flooded with darkness. She felt safe in the darkness; it was a familiar enemy. She had spent many nights alone in the dark in the forest after Regina had banished her from the castle.

She heard footsteps in the hallway and prayed they weren't coming for her. When she heard them stop outside her door, she sighed, preparing herself for another interrogation. She rolled over so her back was to the door, wondering if she could get away with pretending she was asleep if someone tried to enter her room.

There was the usual sound of a key being turned in the lock, but the door still hadn't opened. Snow held her breath; perhaps they had the wrong room.

No such luck. The door swung open and the light came back on. Snow turned around and sat up, ready for another round with the doctors.

What she heard next nearly made her heart stop.

"_Mom._"

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**A/N:** Cliffhanger time! I hope to update again on Wednesday or Thursday. In the meantime, you know what to do!


	14. By Any Other Name

**Disclaimer:** Still own nothing.

**A/N:** WOW, what an incredible response for the last chapter! Maybe I should include cliffhangers more often (just kidding, **Ni Castle**). Although, fair warning, this chapter features a cliffhanger, too. I apologize for not posting this chapter sooner; I wanted to make sure that this one, and the one that follows, were the best they could be, as I know a lot of you have been waiting for this moment. I hope the next two chapters live up to your expectations!

Much thanks to Melissa for betaing, per usual.

* * *

"Mom."

The word slipped out before Emma could stop herself. She knew it was risky, knew that her mother probably didn't remember who she was, let alone the fact that even when she did know, Emma had never called her by that name. And yet, there was something comforting in knowing that the woman on the bed was related to her by blood. Until she had lost her family, Emma had never fully appreciated finding it again.

Mary Margaret (Emma refused to think of her as Snow White, even now) was dressed in the same white gown that Emma had left folded on the bed in her own room. She was staring up at Emma, a politely bewildered expression on her face. "I'm sorry?"

Undeterred, Emma shut the door and made her way over to the bed, clenching the key she had swiped off one of the nurses in her hand. Mary Margaret stopped her just before she could sit down.

"Wait, wait," she said, shaking her head. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you another patient? Are you lost?"

"I'm – yeah, I'm another patient," Emma said. "But I'm not lost. And I'm not crazy," she quickly added.

Mary Margaret smiled. "I'm not crazy either."

Emma smiled back. "Do you know who I am?"

"No." Mary Margaret's smile faltered. "Should I?"

Emma sighed. She knew after meeting Ruby that there would be little chance of her mother recognizing her, but it still hurt. She had spent so long trying to convince herself that Mary Margaret wasn't her mother. And then, even after the curse broke, she'd tried to compartmentalize those feelings, separating the images of Mary Margaret as mother and as roommate. Now she would have given anything, would have taken ten times the awkwardness of her living and family situation, for her mother's expression to be one of recognition and love.

"Well, I know you don't remember me," Emma began. Even as she said it, she could feel her heart breaking. "But I _do_ know you."

Mary Margaret's expression immediately darkened. She narrowed her eyes. "_How_ do you know me?"

"I-" _I'm your daughter_, Emma wanted to say. But she couldn't bring herself to say it. She knew that if she told Mary Margaret now, her mother would never believe her.

"You don't have to pretend to know me, you know," Mary Margaret remarked in Emma's continued silence. "It's not like it'll get you out of here any faster."

"I'm not pretending," Emma said gently. She sat down on the bed, but Mary Margaret scooted as far away from her as possible. Emma wanted to touch her, but thought better of it. "But I don't know how to explain it…How much do you remember?"

"About you?" she asked. "Nothing."

"Not about me," Emma replied, trying to ignore the painful twinge of Mary Margaret's _nothing_. "I meant about anything. What's the last thing you remember?"

Mary Margaret studied her for a long time, and Emma waited in silence. She could tell that Mary Margaret wanted to say something, perhaps had been longing to say whatever it was to whoever would listen, but hadn't found that someone she could trust.

"Hey, listen," Emma said when Mary Margaret still hadn't responded. "You can tell me the truth, you know? I know that we don't really belong here. I'm going to get out of here as fast as I can. Maybe we can get out of here together…" Emma trailed off, not wanting to overwhelm Mary Margaret. She held her breath, waiting, waiting, willing her mother to speak.

"I had just had my baby," Mary Margaret said finally. "I had just given birth to my daughter."

Emma's breath caught in her throat. "You had?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "But no one here believes me. And, I mean, I guess I can see why. It doesn't _look_ like I just gave birth."

"Yeah, but if that's what you think happened…" Emma bit her lip. "Do you know what happened to her?"

"I – lost her."

"Lost her how?"

"I'm not sure," Mary Margaret admitted. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure." Emma smiled.

She saw her mother swallow hard before beckoning her closer and whispering, "I don't remember having short hair."

Emma kept her face neutral as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've never had short hair in my life," Mary Margaret explained. "It's always been long. And, when I think about giving birth to my daughter, I remember long hair."

Emma pondered this in silence. It must have been very strange, once the Storybrooke personas were gone, for her mother to take in her appearance. At least her father basically looked the same. She tried to imagine what it would be like to suddenly find herself in different clothes and with a different hairstyle, worlds away from home. It sounded terrifying.

"Sorry, you must think I'm crazy," Mary Margaret interrupted Emma's thoughts.

"I don't think you're crazy," Emma promised. "Believe me," she said when Mary Margaret raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I've seen a lot of crazy in my life." When Mary Margaret still didn't look convinced, Emma changed the subject. "What else do you remember?"

Mary Margaret stared at her a long time before finally shaking her head. "No. I can't."

"Can't what?" Emma urged. "Can't what, Mary Margaret?"

The name slipped out before she could catch it and she immediately cursed herself for her mistake. Mary Margaret's eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

"That's your name?" Emma frowned. "But – I thought that you had forgotten her-"

"Forgotten _whom_?" Mary Margaret demanded. She sprung up from the bed and crossed the room, her arms wrapped across her chest.

Emma gaped at her. How could her mother even recognize her Storybrooke persona? Ruby hadn't seemed to recognize the name "Ruby" at all.

"How did you know where to find me?" she continued, her pitch rising. "How did you get in here?"

"Keys." Emma shook the chain in her hand. "I took them off one of the nurses. As for where to find you, I guessed. I mean – I got lucky. I had heard that you were here – at least, I thought you were-"

"But why would you find me?" Mary Margaret demanded. Her face was flushed with anger. Emma could no longer see any traces of the meek schoolteacher from Storybrooke. Instead she saw only the banished princess from the Enchanted Forest, tough as nails and gearing up for a fight. "Who are you?" Mary Margaret continued. "Do you work for–" she lowered her voice "-_Regina_? Are _you_ part of the curse?"

"The curse?" Emma repeated. "What curse? You don't mean…?" Emma's heart skipped a beat as the pieces fell into place. Yes, of course, she did_. _She _did_ mean that curse. It all made sense now, why the last thing that Mary Margaret could remember was giving birth to her daughter. Why she knew nothing of Emma or Storybrooke. She was remembering the moments before the curse hit. Crossing the line had not only removed her Storybrooke memories; it had reverted her back to her pre-curse self.

_Back to a world in which I don't exist_.

"Look," Emma began, still reeling from this latest revelation. "I need you to trust me. I know things that you don't. I can help you get out of here. I-" She swallowed hard. "I know where your daughter is."

Mary Margaret scoffed. "Why would I trust you?"

"Because I know who you _really are_," Emma found herself suddenly repeating Henry's refrain. Thoughts of her son gave her strength. Is this how he had felt every time he had tried to convince someone of their true identity? That strange combination of frustration that no one else could see the truth, yet trepidation at revealing something so crazy?

"Yeah?" Mary Margaret challenged, although Emma could see traces of fear behind her glare. "And who's that?"

She knew there was no way she could convince Mary Margaret that she was her mother now. She would have to use the other name, the one name she had never called her. Emma took a deep breath.

"Snow White."

* * *

**A/N:** I know, another cliffhanger, so frustrating! BUT I can promise that the next two chapters will not end on cliffhangers. And I will definitely post the next chapter this weekend. The next Henry and David chapter, by the way, will be chapter 16.


	15. Mother and Daughter

**Disclaimer:** Nothing you recognize is mine.

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad that people enjoyed the chapter! You're all wonderful.

Much thanks to Melissa for betaing.

* * *

"Snow White."

Snow's breath caught in her throat. In that instant, all thoughts that the woman was crazy flew from her mind.

The blonde was watching her, waiting for her to respond. Snow knew there was no point in denying she was right. The other woman clearly knew something about this world, _and more importantly_, Snow realized, _about me. She knows my name._

She could scream; she could alert the staff and have this woman thrown out of her room. But something told her this woman wasn't a threat, that she wasn't sent here by Regina. Snow was suspicious, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly. After all, it hadn't worked out very well with the strange boy; her suspicions about him had been what had landed her here in the first place.

"I'll listen," Snow said finally. She should at least know what the woman had to say. After all, she had claimed to know where her daughter was. If Snow had more information, then she could decide if the woman was working for Regina. And if she wasn't, maybe she would even be able to help. "But I have a question for you first." At the blonde's nod, Snow asked, "What's your name?"

Snow saw her inhale sharply. Something in the woman's expression told her that this was a difficult question. After a moment, she said, "My name is Emma."

Snow narrowed her eyes. She didn't like coincidences. After a moment, she said, "Emma. That's - a lovely name."

Emma smiled. "Thank you." She chewed on her bottom lip (_a nervous habit_, Snow thought) and then said, "So what do you want to know?"

_Everything_, was Snow's immediate thought. She settled for, "How do you know my name?"

"We've met before," was Emma's reply.

Snow frowned. "I don't remember you."

"I know."

"Why is that?"

"It's a long story." Emma was visibly nervous about telling it, and her hesitation made Snow pause. Was she gearing up to tell a complicated lie? Or did she actually know something and was afraid to say it?

Snow walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, trying to put her at ease. "I'm listening." When Emma continued to vacillate, Snow added, "Please, just tell me. I promise to listen until you finish. It can't be any crazier than what I told you about my hair."

Emma laughed, but Snow could see she would still uneasy. "You know what you told me before about the last thing you remember being giving birth to your daughter?" Snow nodded, waiting with bated breath. "You were remembering moments just before Regina's curse hit."

_She knows about the curse. She knows about Regina. _

"That was twenty-eight years ago."

Snow's mouth dropped open. "But – that's impossible," she managed to say. "That's – how can that be? I don't – I don't look any different." She glanced down, running her hands over her body. Except for her hair and the fact that she didn't look like she'd just had a baby, Snow thought she seemed exactly the same.

_But maybe that was it, _she realized. Maybe it was those differences. Maybe Regina's curse hadn't cut off all her hair and changed her clothes. Maybe she no longer looked like she'd just had a baby because she _hadn't_. Maybe that really had been twenty-eight years ago.

Which meant…

Snow looked at Emma, and suddenly she knew why the other woman had been so nervous. "You're – you're saying you're my daughter."

Emma nodded, looking relieved that Snow had figured that out so quickly. "Yes, I am."

Snow felt her chest tighten. _She's twenty-eight years old. I missed her grow up. _

"You weren't supposed to grow up alone," Snow murmured, blinking back tears. "You weren't supposed to be born early. I was supposed to come with you."

Emma smiled sadly. "I know."

Snow reached out and squeezed her hand. "We never wanted you to grow up this way."

"I know," Emma repeated. "We've – had this conversation before."

"Oh," Snow said sheepishly. She wondered if she'd said all the things she wanted to say now: how sorry she was for what they'd had to do, how much they loved her, how proud they were of her. She hoped she had. She could see from Emma's world-weary eyes that her life had been anything but easy.

And if what Emma said was true – and Snow knew in her heart, just looking at her, that it was – and if Rumpelstiltskin had been telling the truth, that could only mean one thing.

"So the Evil Queen's curse – it's already been broken?"

"Yes," Emma confirmed.

Snow tilted her head. "Then what's happening now?"

Emma exhaled. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I think I know, but I can't be certain."

"Just tell me what you think," Snow pressed.

"Regina's curse sent you here, to this world. You lived in a town called Storybrooke. And by you, I mean everyone – David, Regina, Ru – Red. The entire town was full of people from your world." Emma looked at her. "You asked me earlier how I knew your name was Mary Margaret? That was your name in Storybrooke. Everyone had a new identity, and that's all they knew. No one had their memories from your home."

Snow swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat. Storybrooke sounded like a miserable place. Regina had certainly succeeded in taking away everyone's happiness if they'd had to endure that town for twenty-eight years. Even though it was over, and despite the fact she couldn't remember it, just knowing that she'd been in such a place for so long, and without her daughter, was heartbreaking. She wondered if she'd even known that Charming had been there, too.

"Are we in Storybrooke now?" Snow asked.

Emma shook her head. "No. Storybrooke has been destroyed."

Snow's eyes widened. "Destroyed? How is that possible?"

"As part of the curse, Regina created a failsafe," Emma explained. "I guess so that if she didn't like the way things were going, she'd have a way to reset it. The failsafe was meant to destroy everything and everyone that was not from this world – that included the town and basically everyone in it."

"Regina was going to murder everyone?" Snow's heart sank. Even now, worlds away and after decades of being proven wrong, she still held out hope that Regina was redeemable. The fact that she would consider massacring everyone else, just so she could get her way, was repulsive.

"She created the device," Emma admitted, "but I don't think she intended to use it. She's not the one who turned it on and activated the failsafe."

Snow ran a hand through her hair, thinking hard. "But the device still went off, right? That's why the town is no longer there."

"Right," Emma said.

"How did we escape?" Snow asked curiously.

"Well…as part of the original curse, Storybrooke was created with a very clear town line," Emma said. "No one could enter or leave the town. After the curse was broken, you could leave the town, but you would lose your memories from the Enchanted Forest. You'd only have the Storybrooke ones, the fake ones that Regina gave you."

Snow winced. That sounded horrible.

"But once we found out that the failsafe was activated, you and David decided to try to get everyone to safety. The plan was to cross over the town line, thinking that the device would only destroy the town. I think that part was true because you survived."

"But our memories?"

"The plan was to drink this potion that Mother – the Blue Fairy had made. It would restore your memories of the Enchanted Forest. You were supposed to drink it after crossing the line," Emma explained.

"Okay," Snow said slowly. "So did I drink it?"

"I'm not sure," Emma admitted. "But I think you did. Regina and I thought that the device would destroy everything connected to the town – magic, your town identities. So it would make sense that you only have the other memories. For you, it's like the curse never happened. Storybrooke never existed."

Snow contemplated this. Emma's story was incredible, and yet, it seemed plausible. Nothing else could explain why she remembered the things that she did, or how her grown daughter could be standing before her now.

Yet, something was nagging at her. "You said 'Regina and I,'" Snow pointed out, trying not to sound too accusatory. "How do you know Regina?"

"That – is a very complicated question," Emma said, laughing wryly. "The simple answer is that I met Regina when I came to Storybrooke. The more complicated answer is that she's the adoptive mother of my son, whose father is Rumpelstiltskin's son, and we both stayed behind in Storybrooke when she wanted to be a martyr and slow the device down to give everyone time to escape.

Snow's mouth dropped open. "_What_?"

Emma smiled. "Welcome to my world."

* * *

**A/N:** Next few chapters we'll be checking in with Henry, David, and Regina. I'll try to update again soon. In the meantime, you know what to do!


	16. A Father and A Son

**Disclaimer:** Nothing you recognize belongs to me.

**A/N:** Many thanks to everyone leaving such encouraging reviews. You all make my day!

Many thanks also to Melissa for betaing.

* * *

The hustle and bustle of the surgical waiting room was an unfamiliar sensation to David. He had never experienced this kind of organized chaos: there were no such hospitals in the Enchanted Forest. If someone needed a doctor, one was called to the house. Any injury severe enough to require surgery was healed by magic, or not healed at all. The concept of cutting someone open and healing them with what sounded like a thread and knitting needle was absurd.

David was quickly finding that surgery wasn't the only absurd thing about this world. As he became accustomed to the new surroundings, he realized that this was the first building he had been inside in this new world. He recalled what Henry had said about there not being magic in this world, and yet he found himself wondering how the rooms were lit. There didn't seem to be any torches, but the hallways and rooms were illuminated even without windows. David figured this society must be very advanced, certainly more advanced than where he had grown up on the farm.

He leaned back in the uncomfortable chair, deep in thought. He still hadn't processed everything that had happened since he and Henry had stumbled across Regina in the woods. He knew saving Regina had been the right thing to do, and yet, it somehow felt wrong. He couldn't believe he was sitting here, with the son of his worst enemy, waiting to see if she would survive. Granted, the boy was Emma's son, too, but David certainly hadn't saved Regina for Emma's sake.

He kept asking himself why he _cared _about Regina; after all, hadn't he fulfilled his obligation to her (if one even existed) by bringing her to the doctors? If she died now, it had nothing to do with him. It's not like he could have carried her faster through the forest. He could leave now and it would make no difference on whether she lived or died.

And yet, he had stayed. It had been nearly two hours since they had taken her into surgery, and he had stayed. He couldn't quite understand why; in fact, if he thought about it too much, he felt guilty that he was sitting here waiting for news about Regina when he could be out there looking for his wife and daughter. He tried to tell himself that he was waiting to see if Regina would survive, so he could interrogate her about Emma's whereabouts, but he knew that was only part of the reason he had endured these hard chairs for so long. The other reason was a few seats to his left.

Henry's chin was resting in the palm of his hand. His eyes were closed and David wondered if he had dozed off. Henry hadn't said a word since they had arrived in the waiting room. As much as David wanted to say something to him, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Even now, knowing that Henry had withheld information from him (David couldn't exactly call it lying), he couldn't abandon the boy. He supposed it was the same instinct that had led him to save Regina in the first place: the knowledge that, deep down, the boy was part of his family. And that meant, as much as he'd rather deny it, that Regina was, too.

"Is anyone here for Regina Mills?"

Henry's head immediately jerked up and he got to his feet. David looked at him, wondering if he should come along. Henry's pleading expression encouraged him. If it was bad news, Henry clearly didn't want to hear it on his own. David got to his feet and followed Henry and the doctor from the room.

"I'm Dr. Brown. Are you the husband?" the doctor asked David, extending his hand.

David stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"No," Henry interjected quickly. The doctor turned his attention to him instead. "My mom's not married. I'm Henry Mills; I'm her son. And this is David. He's – a friend of the family."

"So you're the next of kin?"

Henry nodded, but David could see the doctor's stalling was making him nervous. "Is my mom okay?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave," Dr. Brown said to David. When David frowned at him, he explained, "I can only release information about Ms. Mills' condition to immediate family, not friends."

David furrowed his brow; he had never heard of such a law. Thankfully, Henry intervened.

"Please, I want him to stay. I'll tell him anything you say anyway; you might as well just say it in front of him."

David could tell this wasn't really how things were supposed to work, but perhaps the doctor took pity on Henry because he nodded and turned to his notes without further objection.

"Your mom just came out of surgery," he began. "She had a lot of internal bleeding from crush injuries. We tried to save her spleen, but it had to be removed." David looked over to see how Henry was taking the news, if he even understood what the doctor was saying. David was finding it difficult to keep up with these strange medical terms.

"The more serious concern is infection," Dr. Brown continued. "She has an untreated open wound on her abdomen that is concerning. We're trying a broad spectrum antibiotic, but with her body in this weakened condition…"

"She'll be okay, though, right?" Henry asked.

The doctor offered a tightlipped smile. "It's too early to tell," he warned gently. "But she made it through the surgery and that's a good sign. We'll just have to wait and see how she responds to the antibiotics."

"Can I see her now?"

"She's not awake from surgery yet," Dr. Brown replied. "But I'll let you know when she comes off the anesthesia. She'll be in the ICU, but we'll take you up to see her." A foreign device on the doctor's belt suddenly sounded a shrill alarm. Dr. Brown unclipped it and held it up to his face. "I'm sorry, I have to go. A nurse will find you later when she's awake."

David saw Henry's face fall as the doctor walked away. He offered Henry a small, reassuring smile that the boy did not return. David's smile faded; perhaps he had understood even less of what the doctor had said than he'd thought. He followed Henry back to the seats; this time, he took the one beside him.

"That wasn't so bad, right?" he began after he realized Henry wasn't going to speak first.

Henry shrugged "It wasn't good."

"Well, I don't know much about medicine in this world," David said, "but I do know a lot about your mother. And she's an extremely strong and stubborn woman. I doubt something like an infection is going to keep her down for long."

If the situation weren't so dire, he might have laughed at the absurdity of it all. Not only was he sitting here with Regina's son, but now he was trying to assure him that she would live.

"I guess," Henry replied, but he didn't look convinced.

"Are you hungry?" David asked. "We could try to find something to eat while we're waiting."

Henry shook his head. "I'm not hungry." He paused and then added, "I can wait by myself, you know. You don't have to stay here."

"I know," David said simply. "But I want to." _Because we're family_, he didn't add.

"Oh, right," Henry mumbled. "You probably want to ask my mom about Emma."

"That, too," David said.

Henry looked at him hopefully. "Too?"

"Yeah, kid." David smiled at him. "I want to ask her about Emma, but I also want to stay here with you."

This time, Henry returned the smile.

* * *

**A/N:** I'll try to post again soon. We'll be sticking with Henry and David for the next couple of chapters. Please leave your thoughts in a review!


	17. Face to Face

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize.

**A/N:** A special shout-out and huge thank you to **starophie**, **Camille22**, and **tate4eva** for their reviews of the last chapter. I love hearing what my readers think! This chapter is a bit longer than the last one. Hope everyone enjoys!

Much thanks to Melissa for being a superstar beta.

* * *

Henry couldn't sit still. It had been nearly an hour since the surgeon had left, and he still hadn't heard anything about his mom. Henry tried to tell himself that no news was good news – surely they would have told him if something really bad had happened – but the refrain became less reassuring as the minutes went by.

David must have noticed something because he threw Henry an encouraging smile. Henry managed a weak smile back. He was relieved that David had decided to stay with him; the wait would have been unbearable alone. He could tell David was still apprehensive about him, but he hoped that when (he refused to think _if_) his mom woke up, she would help set him straight.

He hoped she could tell them something about Emma, too. Henry couldn't understand why they hadn't been together. He had a hard time believing that Emma would have abandoned Regina if she knew how badly Regina had been hurt.

_But then, where was she?_ Henry wondered if Emma had gone for help and left Regina behind because she was too badly injured to come with her. _Or maybe, _said a small voice in the back of his head,_ something bad happened to her._

Henry shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. He couldn't think like that; Emma was all right, she _had _to be. He wished Regina would hurry and wake up already so he could ask her himself. Talking to her would probably be a lot more comforting than sitting here, picturing the worst.

"You okay, Henry?"

Henry looked at his grandfather and shrugged. "Yeah."

David seemed to know he wasn't being truthful. He reached over and placed his hand on Henry's shoulder. "It probably won't be much longer now," he said. "You sure you don't want something to eat?"

Henry shook his head. He couldn't eat; he was sick with worry. As much as he'd tried to tell himself that Regina would be fine, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she _didn't_ make it. What would happen to him? David would probably want to look for Emma and Mary Margaret; what if he didn't want Henry to come with him? Where would he go? What if something had happened to Emma? Would he become a foster kid like she had been?

"Why don't you tell me about her?" David suggested, interrupting his thoughts. "Take your mind off of things."

"About Emma?"

"No." David paused. "About Regina."

Henry stared at him. "_You_ want to know about Regina?"

"Well…yes." When Henry continued to stare, David clarified, "I know her only as the Evil Queen. But you – you were raised by her. You might have known a different person."

"You mean like the way she was before Daniel?"

David no longer seemed surprised that he knew such details. "Well, I didn't know her then, but yes. Something more like that."

Henry looked down at his hands, thinking hard. He, too, had imagined Regina as the Evil Queen more than once, especially before the curse had broken. But he felt differently about her now, or at least, he wanted to. He wanted to believe that she was a fundamentally good person, that the good things she had done could outweigh the bad. She had tried to give up magic for him. She had saved Emma and Mary Margaret. She had tried to slow down the failsafe.

"She's trying," Henry said at last. "She's trying to be better; she's trying to be good. But it hasn't been easy for her."

"What do you mean?" David asked. Henry supposed he couldn't imagine how a person could choose a life of evil; his heart was too pure and full of good.

"Well, she hasn't always done good things," Henry admitted. "She's done some good things, but she's also done some bad ones."

"Like what?"

_Like trying to poison your daughter,_ Henry didn't say. "She destroyed the bean stalks," he said instead. "She didn't want you to take me back to the Enchanted Forest and leave her behind."

"It sounds like she really loves you," David remarked.

Henry smiled. "Yeah, she does." _But sometimes it leads her to do bad things._

Before David could reply, Dr. Brown reappeared. Henry leapt to his feet.

"Is she awake?"

Dr. Brown gave a tired smile. "Yes, she's awake."

"Can I see her?" Henry wanted to know.

"Yes, you may," Dr. Brown replied, "but not for very long. She's very tired from the surgery and the antibiotics. I can take you to see her now, though."

"Yes, please!" Henry turned back to David, who was still sitting. "You wanna come, too?" he asked, hoping David would correctly interpret that as _You're coming, right?_

"Sure, kid," David replied, getting up. He glanced at the doctor. "Is that all right?"

Dr. Brown nodded. "Just don't overwhelm her."

Henry could hardly contain his nerves as he followed Dr. Brown down the hall to his mom's room. As excited as he was to see her, he was always worried about how David would react, and how she would react to David. He wondered if she and Emma had known what had happened to the residents of Storybrooke after the explosion. He wondered if she would even remember being his mom.

_Of course she will,_ Henry reminded himself. _She didn't have a Storybrooke identity to lose._ He used to be angry at her for changing everyone's memories except her own, but now he was grateful for her selfishness. Losing his grandfather had been bad enough. Losing his mother, too, might have been unbearable.

"Here it is," Dr. Brown said, pausing outside a plain white door. The door had a window, but it was too small to see through. "But just for a little while, okay? Like I said, her body needs to rest."

Henry nodded, his mouth too dry to speak. Dr. Brown opened the door and Henry and David stepped inside.

"Mom!"

Regina's eyes were closed, but they opened when Henry said her name. He was scared to see the oxygen mask on her face, but she quickly removed it and beckoned him forward, smiling. Henry ran forward and threw his arms around her neck.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Henry whispered.

"You too," Regina said, hugging him back. "I didn't know – I had no idea if you'd survived."

"What about Emma?" Henry asked. He knew Regina didn't like being reminded that he had another mom, but he had to know what had happened to her.

"She's not here?" Regina frowned. "But I thought that…" She trailed off thoughtfully. "If she didn't bring me here, then who did?"

"I did," David said, stepping forward.

Henry watched nervously as his grandfather approached his mom. Although David looked outwardly calm, Henry knew this couldn't be easy for him. Just knowing that Regina had raised him probably wouldn't be enough for David to forget the other horrible things she had done to his family.

"Thank you," Regina said sincerely. "That's twice in forty-eight hours."

David's expression darkened with confusion. Henry turned to Regina and asked, "You and Emma didn't meet anyone else?"

Regina shook her head. "No. Why?"

"Um, well, when the failsafe went off, it, you know, destroyed the town." Henry couldn't look his mother in the eye as he explained all the horrors that her dark magic had caused. "It – it destroyed all of the Storybrooke memories, too."

"Really?" Regina frowned. "But how can that be? I still remember everything."

"You never had a Storybrooke persona, though, right?" Henry said.

"Maybe next time you should know how your curse is going to work before you implement it," David said. Henry caught the bite of anger in his voice and knew Regina had, too.

"All magic has its limits," Regina said calmly.

"So that's your excuse?" David crossed his arms. "I'm tired of your magic messing with my family."

"Please," Henry interrupted. "Please don't fight! We have to help each other. We need to find Emma and Mary – Snow," he corrected himself. He turned back to his mom. "Do you have any idea where they could be?"

"We never saw Snow," Regina said, eyeing David. "But Emma…" She looked at Henry uncertainly and he nodded, answering her unspoken question.

_Yes, he knows that's his daughter._

"Emma and I were together after the device exploded," Regina explained. "I was injured in the explosion. Emma said she was okay, but she was in some pain. She and I were trying to find our way out of the forest, but we hadn't done it by nightfall. I haven't seen her since last night."

Henry's heart sank. He could see that she was telling the truth, but her story wouldn't help them in finding Emma. He doubted he could locate the spot they'd found Regina again, where Emma had last been seen. Even if they could, she was probably long gone now.

"So she's out there in the forest somewhere," David said finally.

"She might have found her way to town by now," Regina said. "Or maybe she ran into some other people from Storybrooke. I'm sure she'll find you. Isn't that what you always say?"

David ran a hand through his hair and didn't respond. Henry could tell that he was angered rather than comforted by Regina's use of the family line. He didn't know what to say. He was somewhat disappointed that David and Regina hadn't gotten along better, although he knew it had been an unrealistic expectation. The David before him now wasn't the same one who had spent time with Regina after the curse had broken, the one who had relied on her for help in bringing his family back. He could only think of her as the Evil Queen, casting the curse that sent them all to this world in the first place, wrenching their family apart just because she could. Henry wished there was something he could say that would help, but he feared that some relationships were just too broken to be repaired.

A sudden knock at the door broke the awkward silence. Henry turned back to Regina, prepared to say goodbye in anticipation of Dr. Brown's return. However, when the door opened, a loud woman's voice filled the room.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

* * *

**A/N:** Who could that be? Hopefully you won't have to wait to long to find out! I'd love to hear your predictions!


	18. For Henry

**Disclaimer:** Sigh. Still not mine.

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I loved hearing your predictions about who the woman is...a few of you did get it right! I also wear my title of Queen of Cliffhangers with pride, I'll have you know, but this chapter doesn't end on one. A bit of a reprieve before the next chapter, which does have a cliffhanger...

Also thanks to Melissa for betaing, despite all the hyphens. Heh.

* * *

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

David's eyes widened at the sound of the familiar voice. He whirled around. "_Red_?"

Red was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed, and her eyes narrowed at Regina. David took in her strange appearance, especially the long red streak in her hair. He wondered if that was something she had done to herself, or something the curse had done to her.

"Your Highness," Red said, catching sight of David and bowing her head. "What – what are you doing here? With her?" Her eyes flickered toward Regina.

David sighed. "It's a long story." He walked toward the door and gestured for Red to follow him outside. As hard as it had been for him to see Regina, to be in the same room her and to feel some sympathy for her since she was hurt, he didn't want to spend more time with her than he had to. Even so, while he had his own emotions in check, Red looked ready to kill.

"Do you need me to come, too?" Henry asked.

David shook his head. "No, you can stay here." _With your mom_, he didn't add, as Red was still listening. He didn't feel the need to share that particular detail with her yet.

"What's going on?" Red asked as soon as the door had closed behind them. "Why are you here with her? After what she just did?"

_You mean what she did twenty-eight years ago?_ Suddenly David could appreciate how hard it had been for Henry to explain everything to him. "It's a long story," he repeated. He knew it wasn't a satisfactory answer, but he had no idea where to begin. "I don't have time to explain it all now. But, I was with Regina because we – the boy in there and I – found her in the forest. She was badly injured."

"So you decided to save her?" Red sighed in exasperation. "I mean, after everything she's done? I always knew that Snow had a soft spot for her, but I didn't realize you did, too."

"I just – it didn't seem right to let her die," David said. "And, well, that boy in there is her son. And he begged me to save her. I couldn't say no."

"Regina has a son?" Red frowned, looking skeptical. David was about to respond, but Red cut him off. "Well, can you leave her now? There are people out there who need your help."

"Who?" David asked. "Where are they?"

"Well, I haven't found everyone yet," Red began. "But Granny and the dwarves – some of them are in really bad shape. I was trying to find more people when I caught your scent. That's how I found you here."

David shifted his weight guiltily. He hadn't thought about anyone but Snow and Emma since he'd met Henry. Of course his other friends who had lived in Storybrooke would have been affected as well. He hadn't even considered trying to find them.

"Have you seen Snow?"

Red shook her head. "No. I lost track of her scent a long time ago and haven't picked it up again since. She's probably still being held by the guards."

"And Emma?"

Red furrowed her brow. "Who's Emma?"

"My daughter."

"Snow had her baby?" Ruby's eyes widened.

David hesitated. Of course Red thought that his daughter would still be a baby. She didn't know that the curse had already been broken. Before he could figure out how to tell her, Red said, "But I have met an Emma, actually."

"What? You have?"

"Yes, earlier today," Red said. "But she's older, closer to your age."

"Around twenty-eight?"

"Sure, she could have been twenty-eight." Red frowned. "Do you know her?"

"Yes. I think so." David paused, trying to remember what else Henry had told him about his daughter now. "What did she look like?"

"I don't know, blonde," Red said, shrugging.

_That's her._

"But she's a stranger, she's not one of us."

David took a deep breath. "No, Red. She _is_ one of us. That's her. That's my daughter."

Red's mouth fell open. "But – that's impossible. Your Highness, your daughter was just born-"

"No." David shook his head. "No. She was born twenty-eight years ago, Red. I don't – I don't really know how to explain this. All I know is that it's been twenty-eight years since Regina cast her curse. That curse brought us to this world. But this - whatever is happening right now – this is different. This is new."

"Who told you that?" Red asked, narrowing her eyes. "Regina? The boy?"

"The boy," David replied. "His name is Henry, and he's Emma's son – my grandson."

"And you believe him?" Red wanted to know. "How do you know he's not just telling you this to further Regina's plans for this world? How do you know he's not working with her?"

"I thought that at first," David admitted. "But he knows things about me that Regina never knew. He knows things about me and Snow that no one in the kingdom knew – things _you _didn't even know. He didn't learn those from her."

"So what does he think happened to us?"

"He says that the place where we were living after Regina cast the curse, this place called Storybrooke, was destroyed. And we lost all of our memories from the town as a result."

Red's eyes widened. "People lost their memories?"

"Yeah," David said. "It makes sense, I think."

"But we – you and I – we still remember our lives before the curse."

"Yes…" David frowned as a sudden, horrifying idea came to mind. "Are there people who _don't_ remember their other lives?"

"Yes," Red answered. "There are people who don't remember their lives _at all._ Like, any life.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they have no idea who they are," Red said. "Granny's trying to help them. Some of the dwarves, I mean. I'm trying to find others; I want to bring them to her. We need to keep everyone safe. We can't have them just wandering around the forest."

David nodded, thinking about what Red had told him. He hadn't even considered the possibility that there were people who had lost all their memories. He wondered how that was possible, how he and Snow could have been spared, while so many others were forced to suffer. And if what Red said was true, and they were just wandering around the forest, then he had to help her find them. This world was a scary enough place for him; it would be downright terrifying for the others.

"David?"

He turned; Henry was standing in the doorframe to Regina's room. "Time to go?"

"Almost," Henry said. "I've already said goodbye to her, but she says she wants to talk to you again."

David's frown deepened. What could Regina possibly want with him?

"All right," he agreed. He looked back at Red. "This is Henry," he said. "He knows a lot about this world – and about us. You can wait with him while I see what she wants. And Henry, I think you already know who this is."

Henry smiled at Red. "Of course."

Regina looked paler and more tired than before when David reentered the room. He made his way slowly to the foot of her bed, but she stopped him halfway.

"Close the door, please."

David retraced his steps and pulled the door shut. "What's so private?"

"I don't want Henry to hear." Her voice was much quieter and David had to step closer to the bed. She met his eyes and then began, "I know that I have no right to ask this of you, and that you owe me nothing. But I need a favor."

David nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"Are you planning to leave?"

"Red says there are others out there," David replied. "People who have no idea who they are. I have to help them."

"Please don't. Not yet."

David narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

"I need you to stay here with Henry," Regina replied. "I – I don't know how much the doctors have told you, or him, but they told me…" She trailed off, collecting herself. "They told me that the infection might be fatal."

It took David a moment to process what she'd just said. "They're saying you're going to die?"

Regina hesitated. "They're saying it's likely."

"When?" he asked quietly.

"Soon, if the antibiotics don't work."

David swallowed. "And Henry doesn't know?"

Regina shook her head. "I haven't – I don't know how to tell him."

"You expect _me_ to tell him?"

"No," Regina replied. "No, I'll tell him. But I don't – I don't want him to be alone if – when – things take a turn for the worse. So if you could wait here, just stay here, until that happens – or maybe until someone else comes, like Emma – I would, well that would be…"

David said nothing. He knew how hard it must be for Regina to make this request, to swallow her pride and admit she needed something from him, especially when she knew he wanted nothing to do with her. He wondered what the other David, the Storybrooke David, would have done, but then he decided it didn't matter. Regina had to know who she was asking, and it wasn't the man who spent twenty-eight years trapped in some nightmare town.

"For Henry?" he asked finally. "You want me to stay for Henry?"

"For Henry," she agreed.

_For Henry. _It was probably the only selfless thing he'd ever heard her say.

"For Henry," he promised.

* * *

**A/N:** My goal is to have this story posted before the season premiere (21 days, but who's counting?) but we'll see how well that goes...It's probably going to be 23-24 chapters, which means I have a few more to write. So...I'm going to try to post three times a week, but I don't know how possible it will be. All this to say, if all goes according to plan, I'll be posting again soon!


	19. In the Dark of the Night

**Disclaimer:** You guessed it - still not mine!

**A/N:** Many thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and/or put this story on their favorite/follow list! To my anonymous reviewer **Guest**, I appreciate your concerns and I hope the ending (when it comes) will satisfy you. Thanks for your feedback!

Many thanks to my brilliant beta Melissa. She da best.

* * *

Emma crept to the door of her room and pressed her ear to the cool wood. She could hear the shuffling of feet down the hall, but it was not coming toward her. She slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open, careful not to let the door squeak on its hinges.

The hallway was empty except for one nurse who was almost at the end of the hall. Emma held her breath until the nurse turned the corner. Although it was nearly midnight, the halls were still brightly illuminated. She knew she'd have to move quickly to avoid getting caught.

She stepped out into the hallway and then locked the door with the same set of keys she'd stolen earlier. Thankfully the owner of the keys she had stolen either hadn't noticed they were missing or hadn't reported it, because no one had come looking for them. Judging by the scrutiny the doctors and nurses exercised over all the patients, she had a feeling the entire place would have gone on lockdown if anyone had reported a set of missing keys.

Her first stop was the laundry room. She'd asked one of the doctors who'd come to see her earlier that day where her clothes had gone. There was no way she and Mary Margaret would be running around the forest in these gowns. Emma couldn't wait to get out of the one she'd been forced to wear. Its lightweight material and flimsiness made her feel extremely vulnerable. Not to mention, it itched terribly.

Emma arrived at the laundry room and studied the lock carefully. While there was a universal key for all the patient rooms, it didn't look like it fit in this lock. For a moment, she allowed herself to be grateful that Neal had taught her about breaking and entering at seventeen. Then she pushed Neal as far as possible from her mind. She couldn't think about him now.

The second key that she tried did the trick. Emma slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. The clothes were in plastic bags, labeled with a patient's name. She located her own and then Mary Margaret's. Emma was shocked that Mary Margaret's clothes were actually labeled as such; she had no idea who here would have known about that name. Then she remembered that Mary Margaret had recognized the name when Emma had said it earlier. Emma wondered if she'd known, subconsciously, that Mary Margaret had once been her name.

She didn't run into anyone on her way to Mary Margaret's room, for which she was grateful. It seemed like the nurses had already made their rounds for the evening. Emma inserted the key into Mary Margaret's door and entered without knocking.

"Snow," she whispered. "It's me."

Emma heard her mother's voice coming from the bed in the dark. "I was starting to think you wouldn't come."

Emma shook her head, and then remembered her mother couldn't see her. "Of course not." She felt her way toward the bed. They'd already decided that turning on a light would be too suspicious. If anyone came down the hall, a light under a door past midnight would be too much of a giveaway. "I brought your clothes," Emma said. She opened the bags and felt the contents. "I think these are yours."

Once her normal clothes were back on, Emma threw the empty plastic bag on the bed along with the useless gown. That would be a nice surprise for the asylum the next morning.

"Ready to go?" she asked Mary Margaret.

"Yes," Mary Margaret whispered back. "Let's do it."

Emma took her mother's hand and made her way back to the door. She listened carefully, but couldn't hear any movement in the hallway. "I think we're good."

Emma pulled the door open and peeked out into the hall. She saw no one. She ushered Mary Margaret into the hallway and then locked the door behind them. She pointed at the large red EXIT sign at the left end of the hall. _That way,_ she mouthed.

Mary Margaret clutched her hand harder as they scampered down the hall. Emma was reminded of the time they had tried to escape from Jefferson's creepy house; Mary Margaret had held onto her arm the same way back then, so sure that Emma would lead her to safety. That felt like so long ago now. With a pang, Emma realized that Mary Margaret didn't even remember that night.

As she had suspected, the exit door was locked as well. Emma consulted the keyhole and remaining keys. She had to get this right the first time. They had almost made it out. There was no way she was going to jeopardize their freedom by setting off some kind of alarm.

Thankfully, the key she tried fit the lock. Emma turned the knob and they were out. She left the key ring just outside the door. Even though it would be obvious how they'd escaped, it felt too much like stealing to take the key ring with them. Emma also planned to be as far away from this institution as possible by the time anyone figured out that two patients were missing.

The night air was cooler than she'd expected and Emma wished she still had her jacket. Mary Margaret never let go of her hand as Emma led the way back to the woods. The street lights were dim, but Emma could see the trees up ahead. Even though it didn't feel like it, Emma realized she hadn't traveled that far from Storybrooke. She hoped that meant it would be easier to find the rest of her family.

"We did it," Mary Margaret breathed once they'd reached the cover of the trees. "We actually did it."

"Yeah," Emma said, smiling in relief. "Yeah, we did."

"How did you get so good at this?" Mary Margaret asked curiously. "How did you know what to do?"

"Oh…" Emma hesitated. She'd never really explained her past with Neal to her parents. She'd told them what they'd needed to know – namely, that he was Henry's father – but she left out the more colorful details about their less-than-legal exploits. "Well, I kind of used to do it a lot. Henry's father – he taught me how."

She was surprised to see that Mary Margaret's expression was devoid of judgment. "What happened to him?" she asked instead. "Henry's father – what was his name?"

"Neal," Emma answered. "Um, Baelfire in your world."

"I don't know the name," Mary Margaret said.

"No, you wouldn't," Emma replied. "He's way before your time." _Like, a couple hundred years before,_ she didn't say. She didn't want to freak Mary Margaret out.

"And what happened to him?"

Emma opened her mouth to reply, but the words wouldn't come. The loss was still too fresh, the past too painful. "It's a long story," she said finally. "This isn't really the time to get into it."

"I understand," Mary Margaret said. She paused for a moment and then added, "But will you tell me another time? I want to know about your life – I want to know everything."

"Sure," Emma answered. She didn't know why it was such a novel idea to her that her mother wanted to know things about her life. She supposed it shouldn't be so strange; after all, the Mary Margaret in Storybrooke had probably wanted to know everything, too. Perhaps she just hadn't known how to ask. Maybe she'd been afraid to, knowing how difficult Emma's life had been while growing up.

"We should probably keep moving," Emma said. She suddenly wished she'd thought to look for a flashlight back at the asylum. It was dark now, with only the stars and the moon to give light, and would be even darker as they went further into the forest. "Maybe we can find a place to spend the night. We just have to get as far away from here as possible, in case they come looking for us."

Mary Margaret laughed. "Well, now you're talking about something that _I'm_ good at. Hiding from someone in a forest."

Emma smiled, remembering the stories from Henry's book. "After you, then."

The light quickly faded as they went deeper into the woods. Emma kept her mother's hand in her own as she felt her way around the trees. She couldn't see where they were, but she knew they hadn't reached a clearing; there were trees everywhere. Emma wondered if they'd be walking until dawn.

Just when she was about to ask Mary Margaret if she wanted to stop, a light appeared up ahead. She heard her mother inhale sharply.

"What do you think that is?" Mary Margaret said nervously. "Do you think they've found us?"

"No," Emma replied. "They won't be looking for us yet." She squinted, trying to see who was holding the light. She knew it couldn't be anyone from the asylum, as they'd be coming from the other direction, but she wouldn't put it past the overly ambitious Officer Holbrooke to be scouring the woods in the middle of the night.

The light became brighter and Emma saw that it wasn't coming from a flashlight. It looked far too orange; in fact, it looked like fire.

_A torch?_

"Get behind here!" Mary Margaret pulled Emma behind one of the large trees. "We can't let them see us."

They waited with bated breath while the light came closer. Emma heard leaves crunching as the person carrying the torch approached. She gripped Mary Margaret's hand. _Please don't let them find us…_

Suddenly the footsteps stopped. There was a loud clanging sound, and then the sound of something heavy sliding over the ground. Then the sound of a familiar voice that made Emma freeze.

"Granny, it's me."

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, I'm the queen of cliffhangers. But come on, at least this time you can guess who's speaking! I'll post again soon. Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought!


	20. Always

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**A/N:** Thank you so, so much to everyone reading this story, and especially those of you putting it on your follow list or submitting reviews. It was fun seeing all the guesses on who had spoken! No cliffhangers this time, promise.

A million and one thanks to Melissa for betaing. She's kind of the best.

* * *

_Granny, it's me._

"Emma," Snow breathed. "Emma, I think that's Red." Before her daughter could respond, Snow looked around the tree. In the torchlight, she could just make out Red's long, dark hair. She didn't recognize what Red was wearing, but that no longer alarmed her. It looked like Red was standing before a large boulder, talking to someone Snow couldn't see on the other side.

"Red," Snow hissed, trying to catch her attention before she disappeared behind the large rock. "Red, it's me."

"Who's there?" Red turned, lifting the torch higher. "Show yourself!"

Snow stepped out completely from behind the tree. Red gasped and ran forward.

"Snow!" she exclaimed, pulling her in for a quick, one-armed hug. "I can't believe it's you! I didn't think I would ever see you again. How did you escape?"

"It's a long story," Snow said, smiling wearily.

"Well, come inside," Red said, taking her hand. "You can tell me in there. And you'll have to see everyone – they'll be so relieved to see you. Well, some of them will be…"

"Wait," Snow said before Red could drag her away. "Wait, there's someone you need to meet. I'm not alone." Emma had stepped out from behind the tree, but was hanging back. Snow beckoned her forward.

"Red, this is Emma."

Red's eyes widened. "Emma – you mean – your daughter? You found your daughter?"

"Yes," Snow replied, frowning. "But how did you know…?"

"We ran into each other earlier today," Emma explained.

"But it's not just that," Red said excitedly. "Because you never told me you were Snow's daughter. I ran into Charming earlier. _He _told me who you were."

It took Snow a moment to register what Red had said. "Charming?" she repeated. "You've seen him? Where is he?"

"He's with a boy and Regina," Red said. "They're somewhere with a lot of doctors."

Excitement exploded in the pit of Snow's stomach. Red had seen Charming; she knew where he was. Snow wondered if he was with the same boy that she had seen earlier. The one she'd accused of being Regina. Snow could see she'd been wrong about that now, but it was clear that the boy knew Regina because why else would he be with her…?

Suddenly it clicked. She turned to Emma. "That's your son, isn't it?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. Probably. Was his name Henry?"

"Yes," Red said as they reached the boulder. "I think that's what Prince James said his name was."

"How was he?" Emma wanted to know. "Was he hurt?"

"No, he didn't look hurt," Red said. "Although he is worried about you. _Your_ husband seems to know the child well, though," Red remarked to Snow.

"Well – Henry is his grandson," Snow muttered.

Red's mouth dropped open. "_What?_ You're a grandmother? How can that be? You're way too young!"

Snow laughed. "Tell me about it."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this," Red said as she slid the boulder shut behind them. "Come on, this way. I'll show you to the others."

They had entered some kind of cave. The only light came from Red's torch and another one at the end of what appeared to be a tunnel. Snow could make out about a half dozen people sitting at the other end.

"Granny, look who I found!" Red exclaimed as they drew nearer.

Granny seemed exhausted, but her face broke into a smile upon seeing Snow. "I'm so glad you're all right," she murmured as she pulled Snow into a hug. "Have you seen anyone else?"

"No," Snow said, frowning. "You're the first people I've run into. Well, except…" She looked at Emma. As much as she wanted to tell everyone that Emma was her daughter, that very label required so much explanation. Everyone she knew – except, it seemed, Red – thought that her daughter was a baby.

Thankfully, Emma intervened. "Hi, I'm Emma," she said, extending her hand to Granny. "I'm – friends with Snow and Red."

"Nice to meet you, Emma," Granny replied. "Well, come on, this way, Snow. I'll show you – well, you'll see."

Snow glanced sideways at her daughter. She hoped that Emma wouldn't take her hesitation as a form of rejection. She didn't know everything about her daughter's past, but she could see, just in her eyes, that growing up without her family had hurt her. She resolved to talk to her about it later.

"Grumpy," Granny said softly as they approached. "Look who's here."

Grumpy was kneeling in front of something with his back to them, but he turned around upon hearing Granny's voice. "Princess," he said, nodding at Snow. "Glad you could join us."

Snow smiled in response, but her eyes were drawn to the man lying next to Grumpy. A blood-soaked bandage was wrapped around his head. His eyes were closed, but Snow still recognized the dwarf.

"Doc," she whispered. She crouched down and placed her hand over his. "Is he…?"

"He's still alive," Grumpy said. "But not for long."

"What happened to him?"

"We don't know," Grumpy replied. "I found him like this. There was this huge explosion, and the next thing I know, I'm lying next to Doc and he's got this huge gash on his head. He couldn't even recognize me."

Snow's stomach clenched. The explosion had to be the result of Storybrooke's destruction. She suddenly felt lucky to have escaped serious injury.

"Anyway, I managed to drag him here," Grumpy continued. "Granny's been taking care of him…and the others."

"What others?" Snow asked nervously, wondering what state they would be in. "Who else is here?"

Grumpy licked his lips. "Sneezy and Sleepy are here, too," he began. "But they don't – I think something happened to them because they have no idea who I am."

Snow glanced at Emma, but she also looked confused. "What do you mean?" Snow asked.

"I mean they don't recognize me," Grumpy explained. "They don't recognize Granny or Red either."

"Do they have _other_ memories?" Emma asked. "Do they think they're someone else?"

"No," Grumpy answered. "No, they have no idea who they are. Can't even tell me their names."

Snow bit her lip and turned back to Emma. She had no idea what to say. Emma was frowning, which Snow took to be a bad sign. It seemed like she didn't know what was going on either.

"Is anyone else here?" Emma asked.

Grumpy shook his head. "No. Red's been trying to find more people, but she keeps losing their scents."

"I found James' scent, though," Red said as she joined them. "He's with a boy – and Regina."

Grumpy scowled. "What's _she_ doing around here?"

"I don't know," Red said. "James said he and the boy found her, and the boy begged him to save her. I think she's dying, though. Seems to be hurt pretty badly."

Snow saw Emma's face grow pale. "She's dying?" Emma repeated.

"Who cares?" Grumpy said, eyeing her suspiciously. "It's the Evil Queen; she deserves it."

But Snow could see from Emma's face that her daughter disagreed. Emma's lips were pressed together, and Snow wondered if she was trying to keep herself from blurting out the truth. Snow's heart ached for her daughter – and for her grandson. She remembered what it was like to lose her own mother all those years ago.

"We have to find them," Emma muttered. "I need to – Henry needs me. I can't let him – he can't go through this alone."

"We'll find them," Snow said, touching her shoulder reassuringly. "Red, you'll find them again, right? You still have Charming's scent?"

"Sure," Red said, nodding. "He was going to come with me here, but then he decided to stay. For Henry, he said. He doesn't want to leave the boy."

Snow smiled to herself. That sounded _exactly_ like Charming. He would never leave his grandson alone if he knew that Regina was dying.

"There's nothing you can do for her, Snow," Grumpy protested. "Let her die."

Snow held up her hand. "You know why I want to see her, Grumpy."

After a moment, he bowed his head. "She's not going to forgive you," he grumbled.

"Maybe not," Snow conceded. "But I still want to try." As much as she wanted to apologize again, to finally earn Regina's forgiveness, Snow also wanted to see if Regina would repent. She'd had so many chances to be good and she'd always chosen evil. Snow wondered if Storybrooke and motherhood would have changed her, or even the perspective that came from being so close to death.

"So it's settled then," Red said, interrupting Snow's thoughts. "I'll take you there tomorrow. You can spend the night here."

"Thank you," Snow said.

As she and Emma made their way over to one of the unoccupied corners a few minutes later, Snow touched her daughter's arm. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Emma said, although she didn't meet Snow's eyes.

Snow smiled sympathetically. "It's going to be okay, you know. We're going to find them."

To her surprise, Emma offered her a weak smile in return. "That's what you always say, right? 'I will always find you?'"

Snow stopped her so that she could meet her daughter's eyes. "I wouldn't say it if it weren't always true."

* * *

**A/N:** We're reaching the end! For those keeping track at home, there will be 23 chapters plus an epilogue (for 24 chapters total), which should all be posted before the show comes back. 14 days to go!


	21. For Good

**Disclaimer:** Still own nothing you recognize.

**A/N:** Thank you so very much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter or followed this story. I'm so happy to have new readers, even though the story is almost done. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

This chapter is shorter than the last few have been, but the next one will be long to make up for it. Also, feels ahead. You've been warned.

Thanks to Melissa for betaing, even though she has no heart.

* * *

Henry woke to the sound of coughing. Alarmed, he sat up and looked around the dark hospital room. Regina was hunched forward, her chest heaving. Henry swung his legs over the side of the uncomfortable hospital cot and rushed to her side.

"Mom?" Henry said, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Mom, what is it? What's wrong? Should I get a doctor?"

Regina shook her head. "No," she rasped. "Stay here."

Henry sat down on the edge of her bed uncertainly. Thankfully, the coughing fit was brief, and a few moments later, Regina sat back, sucking in deep breaths. Henry reached over and touched her forehead.

"I think you have a fever," he said worriedly.

"It's just the infection."

"But shouldn't the drugs be working?" Henry tilted his head. "They are – they are working, right?"

"I hope so," Regina replied.

Henry frowned. He hadn't inherited Emma's superpower to detect lies (if that really was a superpower; Henry had his doubts) but he was still sure that Regina was lying to him now. "You're going to be okay, right?" he asked quietly.

Regina smiled, but Henry thought it looked forced. "Of course."

"You wouldn't lie to me, right?" Henry asked, quieter still.

Regina opened her mouth, but didn't reply. Henry felt his heart sink. He knew it was a futile question; of course Regina would lie to him, just as she had done so many times before.

"Please don't lie to me now."

Regina opened her arms. "Come here." Henry obliged, feeling the heat radiating from her body as she pulled him close to her chest. "I'm going to be okay, Henry," she began. "Whatever happens, it'll be okay. I'll be okay, and you'll be okay, and-" Henry looked up when she hesitated. "Your family will be okay."

"You're my family," Henry reminded her.

Henry could see how much those words meant to her. That he hadn't rejected her for his savior birth mother and exalted grandparents. That somewhere, deep down, he still knew that blood wasn't the only bond that formed a family. Regina kissed his head. "I love you, Henry."

"I love you, too," he whispered. "So, please, don't lie to me." He met her eyes, challenging her to deny him the truth again. Finally, Regina blinked and looked away.

"I'm not sure how much time I have."

Henry felt his blood run cold. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that the doctors don't think I'll be able to fight off the infection."

Henry's lower lip trembled. "What? They think – they think you're going to-" He couldn't get the words out. His eyes burned with tears, but he didn't want his mom to see him cry. He wanted to be brave for her; he wanted to be strong. But he blinked and the tears began to slide down his cheeks.

"Oh, Henry," Regina murmured as she pulled him close again.

Henry felt paralyzed, lying in his mother's arms. His brain refused to believe what he knew in his heart to be true. He had seen it earlier, in David's expression, when he'd emerged from Regina's room and told Ruby he wouldn't be going with her just yet. Now Henry knew why David had stayed. He was waiting for Regina to die.

"It's not fair," Henry muttered. He knew it was childish, ridiculous to complain about fairness when he had learned long ago that nothing in the world was fair. It wasn't fair that Emma had been raised in foster care. It wasn't fair that her parents had missed her grow up. It wasn't fair that Regina had cast the curse in the first place, or that she had created the failsafe that had destroyed Storybrooke. But it still wasn't fair that she was dying.

"What about magic?" Henry asked suddenly. "Can't you heal yourself with magic?"

Regina shook her head. "There's no magic in this world anymore, not now that Storybrooke is gone."

"But Emma can do magic!" Henry exclaimed. "She _brought_ magic into this world."

"Emma already tried to heal me," Regina explained. "And it didn't work. I don't think she can do magic here, either."

"But you can't give up," Henry insisted. "You can't just die. I – I need you."

Regina smiled sadly. "You won't be alone. You have Emma. You have David and Mary Margaret. You don't need me."

"Yes, I-"

"Henry." Henry met his mother's eyes. "You are going to be raised by the fairest people in the world. And I know this because I spent years hating them for it." Henry swallowed hard. He had never heard Regina talk about his grandparents this way, acknowledge the fact that she had tried to kill them on several different occasions. That history was constantly swept under the rug, a truth too ugly to recognize.

"They will raise you to be good, and kind, and brave. They will take good care of you, I promise. You don't need me."

"But I _want_ you," Henry whispered. He had surprised himself by saying it aloud, but he knew it was true. Ever since Emma had returned to Storybrooke, Henry had known that he couldn't choose. Emma and her parents stood for everything good and moral, Regina was supposed to be the Evil Queen, and even that knowledge wasn't enough to make him turn on Regina. He had even called her the Evil Queen more than once in his head, and he still loved her. Especially now that she was trying to be good.

"I'm so sorry, Henry."

Henry saw that his mother's eyes were full of tears. "For dying?"

"For everything," Regina replied. "For dying, for leaving you. But also for how I treated you, how I made you feel like you were crazy. For all the lies I told you." Regina paused to collect herself. "For trying to keep Emma from you."

Henry bit his bottom lip, unsure what to say. These were apologies that he had longed to hear, reassurances that his mother really did love him enough to acknowledge that she had been wrong to do these things to him. These were signs that she really was – or maybe, could be – good.

"What about-?" Henry broke off, trying to figure out the right way to ask what he'd wanted to know for so long. "What about the other things?"

He didn't want to specify. She knew what he was talking about. If she didn't, if she couldn't even imagine there were other things she'd done worth apologizing for, then he had his answer already.

_The curse._

_The failsafe._

_The countless years spent pursuing Snow White._

_The numerous times she'd tried to hurt someone he loved._

_Or hurt anyone at all._

Regina was silent for a long time. Henry watched her carefully, but her expression was inscrutable. Just when the wait was becoming unbearable, Regina answered his question.

"Yes, I am sorry for other things, too," she said. "But those apologies aren't owed to you." Regina hesitated, and then added, "And I hope to stay alive long enough to give them to the people they belong to."

Henry smiled, despite the ominous sound of his mother's words. At last he had his answer. He tightened his embrace around her, pressing his head into her chest, trying to say without words how proud he was of her for finally choosing good.

* * *

**A/N:** I'll be posting again on Saturday. Have a nice rest of the week! Also, if anyone is interested in Rizzoli and Isles stories, my other twinsoul **starophie** and I have started writing one. It's available on her author page (or my favorite stories list).


	22. The Final Leg

**Disclaimer:** Nothing you recognize from the show belongs to me.

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I'm so sorry if I didn't get a chance to reply to your review - last week was super busy. Hope everyone enjoys this update!

Many, many thanks to Melissa for betaing.

* * *

Several hours later, Snow woke to a faint light coming in through the entrance to the cave. Trying not to wake Emma, Snow slowly sat up. Looking around, she saw that everyone else was still asleep, except for Red, who was standing by the entrance to the cave. As quietly as she could, Snow got to her feet and walked over to her friend.

Red must have heard her approaching because she turned around and smiled. "Good morning."

"Morning," Snow replied. "Any idea what time it is?"

"Judging by the sun, I'd say two hours after dawn," Red said, frowning. "But I don't know what month it is in this world, so I can't tell you more than that."

Snow nodded, thinking hard. It was so strange to hear Red say _in this world_, as though there had ever been another. Of course there had been, there had been _their_ world, and then there was this one, but Snow still couldn't wrap her mind around the difference. And this one had Emma in it, a grown Emma, but Emma nonetheless. It was hard to miss the other world when she had her daughter in this one.

"Think it's too early to meet Charming?" Snow asked.

Red shrugged. "Probably not. Besides, it'll take a while to get there, so I'm sure we won't be interrupting anyone's beauty sleep."

"Are we leaving?" Emma asked from behind them.

Snow turned around and gasped. "What happened to your shoulder?" she said, pointing. Emma's left shoulder was covered in bruises. Snow wondered how she had missed that earlier, but then realized that this was the first time she'd seen Emma in a sleeveless shirt.

"Oh," Emma said. "I dislocated it when the failsafe went off. In the explosion," she clarified for Red, who looked confused. "I think I reset it okay, though."

"We should get it checked out," Snow pressed. "What if it's something worse? It looks pretty bad."

Emma shrugged. "We can do that at the hospital. That's where you saw Henry and Regina, right?" she asked Red. "At a hospital?"

Red frowned. "At a what?"

"I don't think we have hospitals in our world," Snow said. "Is that a place with doctors?"

"Oh – yeah," Emma replied. "Yeah, it's a place with a lot of doctors. How far away is it?"

"Should be about an hour on foot," Red answered.

Emma nodded. "We should leave soon then." Snow knew she was thinking about Henry.

"Okay," Red said. "I'll just tell Granny that we're leaving."

As Red walked away, Emma pulled her long-sleeved shirt over her head. Snow hoped she had only imagined her daughter wincing as she pulled her arms through the sleeves. She thought that Emma wasn't taking the injury seriously enough, but she didn't want to come across as smothering. What if Emma didn't think of her as her mother? Was it strange for her, having a mother who was the same age?

"Ready to go?" Red asked, breaking through Snow's thoughts.

"Yes," Snow replied, while Emma nodded. Snow was about to follow Red outside when she was struck by a sudden thought. "Should I – do we need to say goodbye?"

Red frowned. "You're planning on coming back, right?"

"I…" Snow bit her lip. She hadn't actually thought about it. Now that she'd found her friends, it would be wrong to leave them to fend for themselves, especially when some of the dwarves were in such bad shape. At the same time, what if Emma and Henry didn't want to come back? They knew this world; they could survive in it. They might not want to spend the rest of their lives living in a cave with people who were now basically strangers to them.

"We'll come back," Emma promised. "I'm sure Henry will want to see everyone. And we still need to figure out a plan, what we're going to do about this."

Snow smiled. Her daughter reminded her so much of herself.

They didn't talk much as they made their way through the woods. Snow kept glancing sideways at Emma, but if her daughter's shoulder was causing her any pain, she didn't show it. Snow sensed that her daughter was tough and probably had a very high tolerance for pain. She hoped it wasn't because Emma had endured so much pain in her life that nothing fazed her anymore.

"Snow?"

Snow blinked; Emma was staring at her. "Sorry, did you say something?"

"I asked if you were hungry," Emma said. "There are edible berries around here."

"Oh…sure." Snow looked around; there were several bushes with berries on them. Snow watched as Emma picked a handful of blackberries, thinking about what her daughter had said. It had barely been five words, and yet there was something that felt…wrong.

_Snow? I asked if you were hungry._

_Snow._

Her daughter had called her Snow.

Snow knew it shouldn't feel strange; after all, Snow _was_ her name. But hearing her daughter call her by her given name felt cold, impersonal. Snow tried not to think about the fact that her daughter had gone from infant to adult in the blink of an eye, but the fact that Emma didn't acknowledge she was her mother was a painful reminder of how much time had passed.

It felt like something had been stolen from her. It wasn't the name that mattered so much as what it represented. Teaching her daughter to walk and talk. Teaching her how to dress for her first ball. Teaching her to be good, teaching her all the lessons Snow's own mother had tried to instill in her. Emma might be standing before her now, offering her blackberries, but there were twenty-eight years of her life missing. Twenty-eight years of her life that she had spent alone.

"Emma?" Snow asked quietly. Red was further ahead, carefully tracking scents, but Snow still didn't want her to overhear this conversation.

Emma looked at her. "Yeah?"

Snow took a deep breath, steeling herself to say what she so desperately wanted Emma to know. "You know you can call me 'Mom,' if you want."

Emma's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"I – I just meant that you don't have to keep calling me Snow," Snow tried to clarify. Emma was still looking at her like she'd grown an extra head. "I mean, you probably never called me Snow back in Storybrooke, right?"

"Uh, no," Emma admitted. Snow noticed that she looked extremely uncomfortable. "But I didn't call you 'Mom,' either."

Snow tried not to feel hurt. She had already guessed as much, but it was still one more painful reminder of the past. Even after the curse had been broken, she hadn't managed to build enough of a relationship with her daughter to bridge the gaping hole that twenty-eight years had left. "You didn't?"

Emma blushed. "I – no, I didn't. When I first met you, you were Mary Margaret. And I just…I kept calling you that after the curse broke, too."

"Oh," Snow said. She was starting to wish she had never asked. It seemed like tact was something only her Storybrooke persona had possessed. 'Mary Margaret' had clearly never pressured Emma into calling her anything that she wasn't comfortable with.

"But I did call you Mom once," Emma admitted, interrupting Snow's thoughts.

Snow felt her heart lift. "Really?"

"Yeah," Emma said, not quite meeting her eyes. "It was right before the failsafe went off. I was going to leave Storybrooke with you and David and Henry, but at the last minute, I decided to stay behind, to try to help Regina slow the device down." Emma looked up. "You didn't want me to go, but I convinced you that we couldn't let Regina die for us. And when I was about to leave, it hit me that this might be the last time we'd see each other. And I just…"

_Wanted a mother,_ Snow finished silently. She saw in Emma's eyes that that was what she meant, although she knew that Emma would never - could never - admit that aloud. Emma saw wanting a mother at age twenty-eight as a sign of weakness.

"I'm sorry," Emma continued. "I'm sorry that I can't – that I don't – call you that. I've thought about it, a lot, actually. But I…"

"I understand," Snow said. "And you don't have to be sorry. _I'm _sorry that I brought it up. Clearly I'm going to have to learn some things again."

Emma chuckled. "It's not everyone who gets three chances at motherhood. You're bound to get it right eventually."

Snow smiled, although Emma's words caused her another painful twinge of regret. She was meeting her daughter for the third time now, and she couldn't remember either of the other two.

"Well, the third time is definitely the last," Snow told her. "I'm not going anywhere this time."

Emma smiled. "Neither am I."

"It's here!" Red called to them. "The building is just through these trees!"

Emma sped up and Snow followed suit. She felt her pulse quicken with anticipation as they reached the other side of the forest. The building Emma called a hospital was large and brick, not that different from the sanatorium in appearance. But Snow knew the people she would find inside would be very different. Her husband. Her grandson.

Her mortal enemy.

"Are you nervous?" Emma murmured as they drew up to the entrance.

"A little," Snow admitted. "Does Regina know-?" Snow paused, trying to figure out how to word what she wanted to ask. "Will Regina only have her memories from the other world?"

"No," Emma replied. "It's different for her because she never had a Storybrooke persona. So she remembers both her life in the Enchanted Forest, as well as her life in this world."

Snow nodded; that made sense. Of course Regina would have kept her memories from the Enchanted Forest; being the only person in the new world who knew the truth would have made her powerful. She wondered if Regina regretted the curse now, seeing where things had ended up. If she'd known that she'd be dying twenty-eight years later, would she still have done it? Had those years Snow had lost with her daughter and her husband really been worth it?

"Come on," Emma encouraged, taking Snow's hand. "Our family is waiting."

* * *

**A/N:** We're almost to the end. There will be one more chapter and an epilogue, both of which will be posted next week. Thanks for reading, and again, if you're a Rizzoli and Isles fan like myself and **starophie**, you might be interested in our co-authored story **Here, There, & Back Again**, which is listed on her profile page.


	23. Brave New World

**Disclaimer:** Nothing you recognize from the show belongs to me.

**A/N:** Thanks so much to everyone who's reading this story. You all make my world go round! We're almost to the end.

Much thanks to Melissa for betaing, as usual.

* * *

Several hours later, Henry found himself being shaken awake by David. When he opened his eyes, he saw David press his finger to his lips and point at Regina. Regina was still asleep, and Henry allowed himself a small breath of relief that she had made it through the rest of the night. Henry eased himself up from the hospital cot and followed David from the room.

"You sleep okay?" David asked as he closed the door behind them.

Henry shrugged. "I guess." His grandfather's eyes were puffy and Henry wondered if David had slept at all. He might have spent the entire night awake waiting to see if Mary Margaret or Emma would somehow stumble upon the hospital. "Has anyone come yet?" Henry asked.

David shook his head and Henry tried not to feel disappointed. He had hoped that Ruby would find Emma or Mary Margaret and bring them back with her, but no such luck. He knew Ruby hadn't left that long ago, and it was unreasonable for him to expect her to return so soon, but he still felt let down. Henry knew it was selfish, but now that he was sure Regina was dying, he wanted to be with the rest of his family as soon as possible.

"Are you hungry?" David asked as he led Henry down the hall and to the staircase. "I asked one of the nurses and she said there's a place to buy food downstairs."

"I guess," Henry replied. He didn't feel hungry, but at the same time, he hadn't eaten in almost twenty-four hours and got the feeling that David would be upset if he didn't eat now.

As they entered the stairwell, Henry caught sight of the view outside the window. They were a few stories up from the ground floor, and he could just make out the woods in the distance. He worried that Emma was somewhere out there in the forest, still searching for him. What if she couldn't figure out that he'd already left the forest? Henry wondered if he should have tried to leave some kind of message for her, or send a message to her now, to let her know where he was. He remembered that Snow and Charming had sent messages to each other with birds and wondered if he should try to use a bird to send a message to her.

Before he could ask David if this would work, something on the ground caught his eye.

Henry blinked; it couldn't be her. It only looked like her because he'd been thinking about her.

"Henry?"

Henry ignored David and pressed his nose up to the glass. As the light-haired figure drew closer, Henry saw that she wasn't alone, but with two other figures, both with _dark_ hair.

"That's them!" Henry shouted. "They're here, they're here!"

"Henry, what-?"

Henry didn't answer, but instead sprinted down the staircase. His heart pounded in his ears, drowning out David's shouts that he should wait. Henry could hardly believe it. Ruby had found them after all.

Henry slowed down when he reached the ground floor. By the time he had reached the entrance, Emma, Mary Margaret, and Ruby were almost to the entrance.

"Mom!"

Emma looked up and Henry darted forward, throwing his arms around her waist as soon as he reached her. Her clothes smelled like sweat and dirt, but he didn't mind. Henry pressed his face into her stomach, savoring the feeling of being held in his mother's arms again.

"I'm so glad you're okay, kid," Emma murmured as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm glad you're okay, too," Henry said, smiling up at her. "And I'm really glad you're here."

Emma smiled back, but then her expression faltered. Henry turned around to see what she was looking at. David was standing behind him, one hand in Mary Margaret's, and the other extended out to Emma.

"Hi," he began awkwardly. "I'm-"

"I know," Emma said. She stared at his hand for a moment, but didn't take it. Instead, she came closer and wrapped her arms around him. Henry had a split-second view of David's surprised expression before it melted into one of relief.

"So you must be Henry."

Henry turned away from Emma and David to see Mary Margaret smiling at him. He hesitated, wondering if she would want him to hug her or not, but his question was answered the next moment when she pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry I tried to hurt you earlier," she apologized. "I feel horrible."

Henry smiled. "It's okay."

"How's your – um – how's Regina doing?" Mary Margaret asked.

Henry hesitated, looking down at his shoes. How much had Emma gotten a chance to tell her? Did she know that Regina was his mother, too? Would that scare her off?

"She's your mother, right?"

Henry glanced up, but Mary Margaret's expression was kind. "She's hanging in there," he replied. "I think she has something to tell you."

"Really?" she murmured. Henry hoped he was right in thinking that Regina had meant to apologize to her. She glanced over her shoulder to where Emma, David, and Ruby were deep in conversation. Henry sensed her hesitation at interrupting them.

"I know where her room is," he volunteered. "I could take you there. David knows where it is, too. They'll probably come later."

"I don't know…" Henry sensed she probably didn't want to leave David now that she had found him again.

"He'll find us," he promised, raising his eyebrows at her. In their family, that line left no room for doubt.

She smiled. "Of course he will." Henry saw her catch David's eye and nod toward the hospital. He nodded in return. Henry smiled to himself. He loved watching his grandparents together.

"She was still asleep when we left this morning," Henry warned as they reentered the hospital. "But she might be awake now."

"Oh…" Mary Margaret bit her lip. "I don't want to disturb her if she's resting-"

"No, it's okay," Henry assured her. "I mean, if she's asleep, we can come back. But we should see if she's awake. I think she…" He trailed off, wondering how much he should say. He didn't want to guilt Mary Margaret into listening to Regina's confessions and her attempts to seek Snow White's forgiveness, if she didn't want to. But at the same time, he knew how important it was to his mom that she have this last chance to be good.

"Henry?" she prompted him.

Henry swallowed. "I think she would want to see you."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Okay. Let's go then."

Henry didn't say anything else as he led his grandmother up to Regina's room. He looked for Dr. Brown as they approached his mother's hall, but the surgeon didn't appear to be around. Henry wondered if he'd be able to slip back into Regina's room unnoticed by any of the other doctors or nurses on the floor.

"Can I help you?"

_Or not._

Henry turned around and saw a nurse siting at the reception desk. He smiled at her. "Yes," he replied, walking over. " I'm here to see my mom. Her name's Regina Mills."

"Do you know where her room is?"

Henry nodded. "Yes. Can I go see her now?"

"You may, but…" The nurse eyed Mary Margaret. "It's family only."

"Oh – she's my mom's, um, sister," Henry lied. "My aunt."

"Oh," the nurse said. "All right then."

Mary Margaret tapped Henry on the shoulder as they made their way down the hall. "Your aunt?" she repeated, stifling a giggle.

"It's the best I could come up with," he said. "I mean, I can't exactly go around telling people you're my grandmother, can I?"

"No, I suppose not," she replied quietly. Henry glanced up in time to see the fleeting look of sadness cross his grandmother's face.

"It's not that I don't want to," he said quickly. "I was so excited to find out that you were my grandmother."

Mary Margaret smiled. "Thank you, Henry."

"I know all of your stories," he continued. "There was this big book of them that you – I mean, uh, the Storybrooke you – gave me. That's how I figured everything out with Emma and the curse." He suddenly noticed where they were and stopped. "It's here," he said. He knocked twice and then opened the door.

"Mom?"

Regina was sitting up, the oxygen mask on her face again. She pulled it off and beckoned them forward. Henry watched as his mother's eyes met his grandmother's.

"You came." Regina's voice was low and hoarse.

"Yes," Mary Margaret breathed as she walked up to Regina. Regina reached out her hand and Henry was surprised but pleased to see Mary Margaret take it. He hung back by the door. As curious as he was, he didn't want to intrude on Snow White and the Evil Queen.

"Hey, kid."

Henry turned to see Emma leaning against the doorframe. He could see David and Ruby waiting out in the hall. Henry stepped closer to her and leaned against her. Emma put one arm around his shoulders.

"They're talking," he muttered as Mary Margaret sat down on Regina's bed. "That's good, right?"

Emma squeezed his shoulder. "Yeah, kid," she replied after a moment. "It's a start."

* * *

**A/N:** To those of you who had hoped for a Snow/Regina talk - two things. First, I tried to write it, but it wasn't going well because it wasn't different enough from the conversation Regina and Henry had in chapter 21. Second, in the last chapter you will have a sense of what Regina and Snow talked about and where their relationship stands. I'll post the final chapter later this week - definitely before the season 3 premiere.


	24. The Queen is Dead

**Disclaimer:** Nothing you recognize belongs to me.

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy the last one!

As always, many thanks to Melissa for betaing.

* * *

The morning of the funeral was rainy and cold. Emma woke to the gentle patter of rain on the top of Ruby and Granny's cave. Henry was still asleep next to her, and she carefully slid out from underneath his arm so she could sit up. From across the cave, David caught her eye and Emma nodded in return. Slowly, she got to her feet and made her way over to her father.

"You okay?" she asked as she sat down next to him. He looked exhausted.

"I can't sleep," he explained. "I keep having these dreams."

"What dreams?" Emma asked.

David glanced at her. "You know how your mother was under a sleeping curse?" Emma nodded. "Well, after that, she kept having these dreams – these nightmares. Always the same, this burning room-"

"And you're having them, too," Emma finished for him.

"How did you know?"

Emma smiled. "Because you were under a sleeping curse, too."

David's eyes widened. "What? When?"

"A few months ago," Emma replied. "It's – well, it's a long story. But the short version is that you went under a sleeping curse so you could communicate with Snow in another world."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Emma said. "We figured out that you can communicate with people in that nightmare world – in that burning room, or whatever it is. So Regina cursed you so that you could enter it, too, and talk to Snow."

"I let Regina curse me?"

Emma laughed at David's scandalized expression, but quickly stopped, not wanting to wake the rest of her family. "Yes, you did. You – you trusted her, I think. It didn't last once her mother got involved, but before that, Regina really was trying to be good."

"And Cora?" David wanted to know. "What happened to her? Why isn't she here?"

"She's dead," Emma replied. She didn't want to go into the details, and hoped David wouldn't ask. It had been bad enough for Mary Margaret to come to terms with what she'd done right after it happened. Emma didn't know if her mother could survive trying to come to terms with it a second time.

Perhaps David sensed she didn't want to talk about it, because he let the subject go. Instead, he sighed and glanced over at where Henry and Mary Margaret were still sleeping. "I can't believe she's gone."

It wasn't entirely unexpected, but it had been sudden. The doctors had said it was a good sign that Regina had lasted so long on the antibiotics; Emma got the sense they had expected her to drop dead in the first twenty-four hours. She lasted almost a week, but the infection had gotten her at last.

"I know," Emma said, staring at her son. In her head, she could still hear him crying for Regina after the doctors had told him it was over. That was two parents he had lost in the past two weeks.

"Are you okay?" David asked, touching her shoulder.

"Yeah," Emma replied. "Are you?"

"No," David answered as Mary Margaret began to stir. "But I will be."

The rain had let up by the time for the funeral, although the sky was still gray and low rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance. Emma put her arm around Henry as they followed the rest of Storybrooke's former residents deep into the woods. Her son's face was dry, but she could feel the tension in his shoulders. He was trying to be strong, and she admired that, but at the same time, he was only eleven and he was burying his mother.

It struck Emma that _her_ mother had been about the same age as Henry when her mother had died. Of course, Henry still had her, his birth mother, and Emma knew that he knew that, but Regina had been the only mother he'd had for ten years. With Neal and now Regina gone, Emma would have the job of parenting her son all to herself. Despite the fact she had often butted heads with Regina over Henry, Emma had never wanted her dead. Out of Henry's life, perhaps, but not absolutely, irrevocably dead.

They had reached a clearing in the woods with a small graveyard. Doc had been buried there a few days earlier. Emma recalled the sad image of the remaining dwarves huddled together, their number down to six, four if she counted the ones who actually remembered who they were. Ruby and Granny had been there, too, along with Mary Margaret and David. A small funeral held by the survivors. Grumpy had delivered the eulogy.

Emma left Henry with Mary Margaret while she, David, Ruby, and the dwarves went to retrieve the casket. They carried it back in silence and it struck Emma how strange it must have been for the rest of them, who had been persecuted by Regina for so long, to be carrying her casket now.

The plot was ready, the grave dug. Emma slowly helped lower the casket into the ground and moved back to where her son was waiting. He had finally allowed himself to cry, and when she snaked her arm around his shoulders, he buried his head in her side.

"I don't know if we ever thought we'd be here," Mary Margaret began softly. Emma looked at her mother. There had been an unspoken agreement that Snow White would deliver the eulogy for the Evil Queen. Perhaps because she had known her the longest, or maybe because she'd never wavered in her faith that Regina truly had been good. Henry turned his face from Emma's jacket so that he was looking at Mary Margaret, too.

"I – I guess I should clarify what I mean by 'here,'" Mary Margaret continued. "Because I know that none of us ever expected that we'd end up in this world. Let alone holding Regina's funeral." Emma saw David squeeze her mother's hand. "These past two weeks have been tumultuous. And I am proud of us, all of us, for making it this far. Difficult times are behind us, and trying times still lie ahead, but I know that if we stick together, we'll survive together.

"Of course, we also have to acknowledge those who haven't made it this far." Mary Margaret paused, glancing around. "I know that most of us can only remember a time when Regina was bad. But we also have to realize that we don't remember the times when she was good. And we have to look to the people who do remember." She nodded at Emma and Henry. Emma tightened her grip on her son's shoulder.

"I know that, right now, it's hard to see that she was good. All of us have been affected by the choices that she made, and most of those choices were selfish. Some of you may blame her for the fact that there are familiar faces missing today." She drew a shaky breath. "And you're not wrong."

"I also know that one good deed can't erase a lifetime of bad ones," she continued. "And it's not my place to tell any of you how you should feel about her. But I also know that when it counted, Regina chose us. She chose good over evil." Emma heard Henry sniffling and she felt her chest tighten. She knew how much that meant to him, that Regina had finally chosen to be good.

"She was willing to sacrifice herself for us; she _did_ sacrifice herself for us," Mary Margaret said. "We wouldn't be here if she hadn't chosen to stay behind and slow the failsafe down. I think you all know that she saved me when I was a girl. And despite everything that happened between us after that, I'll always remember that's how we met." Mary Margaret wiped her eyes with her free hand. "And when I spent time with her in her last week, I saw that Regina again."

Emma swallowed the rising lump in her throat. In some ways, her mother wasn't that different from Henry. They both wanted to see Regina choose good. And in the end, they both saw that she had.

"So today we say goodbye to the woman we called the Evil Queen. For some of us, that may be a welcome goodbye. We can live in peace now knowing that her evil choices can't affect our lives again." Mary Margaret hesitated and then added, "But saying goodbye to her also means saying goodbye to our world. We can't go back," she said, and Emma was surprised to hear the note of finality in her mother's voice. "Our lives will be different now that Regina is gone. In many ways, they will be better. But there is no world to go back to. There is only forward, and there is only this world."

Emma saw that many people were nodding, and she found herself nodding along with them. This was their world now. She knew that they would look to her parents to lead them, and her parents would look to her. And Emma was surprised to find she was ready for that.

"The queen is dead," Mary Margaret concluded. Emma felt Henry shudder beside her as her mother placed a single rose on top of Regina's casket. David followed suit, and Emma took Henry's hand and led him up to the casket.

"Bye, Mom," he whispered as he placed his rose on top of the others. Emma found herself blinking back tears.

She stepped back with her son and watched as the rest of Storybrooke's former residents moved forward to place roses on the casket. She knew that her mother was right in saying most of them blamed Regina for what had happened. Emma wondered if any of them would find it in their hearts to forgive her as Snow White had.

"Mom?"

Emma looked down at Henry. "Yeah, kid?"

"Look." He turned back to look at the line of Regina's former victims waiting to place a rose. "It's a start."

* * *

**A/N:** I want to extend a very sincere thank you to everyone who made this story possible. From my faithful beta Melissa to those whom I've conversed with in PM to those who submitted such encouraging reviews – thank you. You are all wonderful and I can't thank you enough.

This is the end of the story; there won't be a sequel. I hope that it held everyone over during the long summer hiatus. I've already begun my next project, which is another AU story of Once in the form of Tangled called **I See the Light**. It's pretty different, but if you love Tangled (and/or Gremma!) I think you'll enjoy. I also hope that everyone enjoys the premiere tonight. Fingers crossed for some Charming feels!


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